


Vision: A Neo Era

by Da_Vision1111, Tenheroes



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, M/M, Spiderman AU, also lots of dream, lots of wayv because we stan in this household, marvel AU, nct as superheros, nct with superpowers and being dumb
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2019-10-23 07:17:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 97,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17678930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Da_Vision1111/pseuds/Da_Vision1111, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tenheroes/pseuds/Tenheroes
Summary: "Guys, I just spent one third of our superhero budget on an uber.""Mark, you have super sticky webs."--Or,In which WayV are villains, Dream work underground, and Johnny is making a new superhero team called '127'





	1. A Valiant Hero, A Devious Villain

**Author's Note:**

> This fic my younger sister and I started working on one late night during winter break was just supposed to be a joke but uh, nct as superheros? We couldn't control ourselves. -J
> 
> On all levels except physical, I am a wolf
> 
> arf!  
> ~Nae

It was another loss for Captain J and another win for Doctor Death, otherwise known as the greatest superhero and super-villain rivals of their time. It hadn't been long that the two had began fighting each other. In fact, it hadn't even been over three weeks since Captain J, also known by his real name Jung Jae Hyun in his regular day-to-day life, discovered his superpowers. He didn’t even know if he would have discovered them if it weren’t for that day when he was practicing for track team trials and pushed himself to run as fast as he could before _swoosh!_  the whole field was in flames and he was on the other side in just seconds.

It wasn’t even days after he found his powers that Doctor Death had begun to attack the city of Seoul and Jae Hyun, being the valiant hero he was, pulled on a hood with a painted J on the back and a mask he found at the dollar store, and took him upon himself to fight this evil villain. It was two weeks now and the public loved him. They had resorted to calling him Captain J, even, and he quite liked the attention. What he didn’t like, though, was the constant stream of losses since then.

Jae hyun wanted to blame his lack of training for the devastating, and quite embarrassing, defeats. But even if his regular college student life (because he insisted on taking classes during the summer) allowed him to train his enhanced agility, he knew Doctor Death was too powerful. With what seemed to be some sort of manipulation power that was obviously far more trained, Jae Hyun, or Captain J, was left ridiculed. And it would remain that way until, that night, after another appointment with Doctor Death, he found himself walking home only to find another encounter that would change his life once more.

"Another loss, I see," A dark and mysterious voice came from the dark side of the alley, making Jae Hyun freeze under the lamppost. He felt his heart drop as he realized that someone knew his identity, seeing as how he wasn't wearing his black J hood and mask and was heading home in his regular, normal college student clothes.

"Who are you?" He asked as he unconsciously took a step back and his hand reached for the zipper of his bag.

"Now, you don't have to worry about me," The voice spoke from the darkness, "I'm not here to hurt you." Jae Hyun almost sighed in relief, until the voice finished with an, "Not today, at least."

"What do you want?" Jae Hyun asked sternly, feigning braveness.

"Your powers," The voice spoke.

Jae Hyun's hand lowered and he looked down at his hands. "My powers?" He barely whispered to himself. He suddenly looked up at the dark shadow as he clenched his fists. "What do you want my powers for?"

"Haven't you ever wondered where they came from? How they came into your possession?" The voice paused. "I can give you all the answers you need, but before that, I need you to work for me."

Jae Hyun's head tilted as he tried to comprehend what the voice was telling him. Someone actually knew where his powers came from? Someone could give him the answers to all the questions he had been asking since the day he destroyed the school's field? Who exactly was this person?

"I don't work for anyone but the people," Jae Hyun stated sternly, remaining true to his first intentions.

The voice snorted and Jae Hyun didn't understand what could be so funny about what he said. "That's funny, kid. The people. Anyways, when you're done playing 'Captain America', come find me and maybe you won't keep losing to that _dentist_."

Before Jae Hyun could say anything else the shadow was gone and a card poofed its way into his hand. He was left looking down at the card that the voice left him, scanning the dark moon with white stars printed around and the big, bold, yellow letters that spelled out: _**New Heroes**_. And right below, a number, tempting Jae Hyun to call it before he decided to not think about this night ever again, forcing himself to shove the card into his pocket. He had enough things to deal with as it was.

 

* * *

 

"Jae Hyun... Jae Hyun... Jae Hyun!" It wasn't until the third call of his name that Jae Hyun snapped out of his thoughts and came to his senses, looking up at his professor who stood at the front of the class with her arms folded expectantly.

"Yes?" He asked baffled, causing the entire class to burst into laughter except for the well-known stuck-up, Kim Do Young, who sat at the front of the classroom giving him another one of his disapproving looks as he shook his head.

"Would you mind sharing with the class what has you so distracted?" The professor asked.

Jae Hyun did a quick side glance, seeing everyone in the room staring at him expectantly. "Uh, no?” He answered unsure of himself.

“No?” The professor asked, raising a questioning eyebrow at the boy.

“No,” He answered with a firm nod. It was bad enough he was failing in his superhero life, he couldn’t also be failing in his academic life either. So, doing what any other regular college student his age would do, he paid attention in class. Or, at least, pretended to.

It wasn’t long before class ended and Jae Hyun was able to catch the professor say something about some group assignment before she walked out. Panic settling in, Jae hyun quickly gathered his things as his eyes began to scan the room for leftover students and sighed in relief when he saw Do Young was just heading for the door at the from of the room. With a sudden urge to reach the guy before he walked out, Jae Hyun triggered his superspeed and found himself right by the raven-haired boy who stopped walking and gave him a suspicious glance before hugging his textbook close.

“Yes?” Do Young asked, and obvious tone of irritation in his voice that would fly right by Jae Hyun.

“Do you know what the professor said?” Jae Hyun asked, suddenly feeling ashamed for not paying attention in class. “I- uh-” He stumbled on his words as he began to scratch the back of his neck. “I zoned out during that last part.”

Do Young quirked an eyebrow, lips parting to say something before closing and then opening once again. “Isn’t it your fault for not paying attention then?”

“I-” Jae Hyun didn’t have an excuse.

Do Young sighed, doe eyes rolling as he took out a sticky note and pen. Jae Hyun watched curiously as the boy scribbled something on to the yellow post-it-note before handing it to him. “We have a group assignment due in a month over the latest material. We got partnered up for some reason. I’m busy now so text me later and we can set up a meeting schedule.”

Jae Hyun nodded as he stared down at the number. He looked up, lips parting to ask another question, but the boy was gone.

 

* * *

 

“That superhero, Captain J, he calls himself, and Doctor Death keep messing around and destroying the town,” Tae Yong sighed as he looked out the window, arms crossed and a frown etched on his face.

“The guy has good intentions,” Johnny responded from his desk where he typed continuously, going through the stack of papers he had placed next to him. “Maybe it’s time we start reaching out?”

Tae Yong shook his head, walking away from the window and sitting across from Johnny. “We need to wait a bit more. I need to know what their intentions are with their powers. Also, we need to find more of them first.”

“I really thought Captain J would encourage the rest to come out,” Johnny voiced his thoughts as he remained with his focus on his laptop.

Tae Yong nodded in agreement before he stood up and walked over to the window once again, not able to stand the empty silence with only Johnny’s typing in the background. He looked down to the street, the tiny ant-sized people from fifty stories up. He listened to the sound of sirens in the distance, eyes closing as he began to go into focus. But that was stopped the moment Johnny let out a small, barely audible gasp and his eyes snapped wide open and he turned to see what left the guy sounding so surprised.

“What is it?” Tae Yong asked as he leaned over Johnny’s desk, looking at his laptop. His eyes narrowed as he watched the scene in front of him unfold. A small gasp escaped his lips as he realized what was happening on screen and he quickly backed away. A series of thoughts ran through his head, ultimately leaving him with two questions: “There was someone else there that day? Where is he?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just a short introduction. The following chapters are muuuch longer. Also, we're on aff too. -J
> 
>  
> 
> Country boy I love you!
> 
> Hng! 
> 
> ~Nae


	2. The Dream Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He had frowned at the sight, pulled out an earbud, stared down at him for a good ten seconds, and asked, “Are you dying?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in one night because we typed so much for this story and have a lot in our drafts. -J

Mark panted, running a hand through his messy hair as he pulled down his hood and leaned against the brick wall. His eyes closed, hand going up to his chest as he tried his best to calm down. He then took in a deep breath, finally feeling his heartbeat go back down to its normal pace. But it wasn’t long before his senses activated once more and his hearing focused on distant, muffled voices that approached his corner. Eyes snapping open, he did a spin followed by a jump that landed him sticking to the brick wall. Hearing the voices closer, he quickly crawled up until he was on the roof of the building, peering down as the guys that had been following him previously came into view.

“Mark, can you hear me?” Ji Sung’s voice came through the earpiece he wore. At risk of getting caught, he didn’t answer the younger boy as he kept his eyes trained on the guys below.

“I think he jumped over the fence,” One of the guys said as he pointed off to the distance and they all headed in that direction.

“Mark, are you there?” Ji Sung’s voice came in once again. This time Mark’s hand went up to his earpiece, adjusting the level as he nodded his head and responded, “Yeah, sorry. I was being followed.”

“Are you safe now?” The younger boy asked with minor concern.

“Yeah,” Mark nodded, as if Ji Sung could actually see him, approaching the ledge of the roof where he could see the guys getting into a van before riding off. “They’re gone now.”

“Good,” Ji Sung said, and Mark was able to hear a series of fast typing followed by the boy’s words. “I think that’s all we can do for today. You should head back now.”

“Alright. I’ll be there in a bit,” Mark said before he took off his earpiece and stuffed it into his pocket.

Closing his eyes, the nineteen year-old-boy let out a sigh once again, beginning to stretch all parts of his body. After a series of pops around his neck, shoulders, and back, he turned around and headed to the other side of the roof before turning once again to face the opposite end. “You got this,” He whispered to himself in reassurance.

It wasn’t like Mark was one to doubt himself easily. He was quite a brave boy, or at least he was told so often by those around him, but this was different. This wasn’t just performing some self-composed song at the talent show in middle school. This was using his superpowers he got from a radioactive spider to swing himself from building to building. He had only done it once before and it was quite terrifying, might he say. Launching yourself from a tall building, putting your life in the hands of-well- your hands, was not such a comforting thought.

But Mark ran. He ran to the other side of the roof, building momentum for when he would launch himself off and feel himself fall at a rapid speed, the wind slapping his face and running through his hair until he reached his hand up and a sticky web of some sort launched out to save himself before he crashed. But, before he could find the strength in him to jump off, he came to a sudden halt just as he reached the ledge.

“Nope,” Mark said with only one glance down before he turned around, and headed for the stairs. “I’m calling an uber.”

 

* * *

 

“What took you so long?” Ji Sung asked, pulling his eyes away from the screen to look at Mark who walked in, without actually stopping his typing.

“Guys, I just spent a third of our superhero budget on an uber," Mark sighed as he walked into the dimly lit room.

"Mark, you have super stick webs," Ji Sung deadpanned.

From the opposite end of the room, Mark could hear a snort followed by a series of giggles. With a roll of his eyes, he took a seat, preparing himself for the teasing that was to come.

“I thought you could swing from building to building,” Jae Min snorted from his seat besides Jeno.

“Yeah, aren’t you some sort of spider-man?” Jeno asked, an amused grin on his face.

Mark glanced over at the pink-haired boy before looking over at his best friend and sidekick. Those two were definitely a duo. Wherever it was, whatever it came to, Jae Min and Jeno were definitely inseparable. Unfortunately for Mark, that meant double the teasing. But there was definitely a missing presence in the room; A high-pitched voice that should have automatically teased him to no end as if in constant autopilot.

“Where’s Hae Cha-?” Mark began to ask, but before he could finish, his senses tingled and in a flash, the boy appeared in the room.

“Looking for me?” Hae Chan asked, sending Mark a wink.

“How do you keep knowing when I'm talking about you?” Mark asked, nose scrunched up as he stared blankly at the boy. “Jeno is the one with telepathy.”

“He took one of Ji Sung’s earpieces,” Jeno answered before Hae Chan could even open his mouth. The boy pouted, sending the other a look before he turned to Mark with a grin.

“I heard you took an uber,” Hae Chan said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “You still scared to use your webs?”

“I’m not scared!” Mark protested, throwing his arms up in the air as if that would actually convince the boys. But it didn’t and they exchanged glances before giving him one of those looks, so he admitted to his fears. “Okay, these powers aren’t the easiest to control, okay? I don’t want to end up splattered on the concrete just because my webs didn’t shoot out of my hands.”

Jeno made a face, imagining the scene in his head before shaking his head. “How hard can they be to control?” He asked, trying to shake the image out of his head.

“Well my powers require special skills,” Mark mumbled, unsure if he believed what he was saying. “They’re different from yours.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hae Chan asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly as if they boy had just offended him. Though he was most likely ready to pick a fight because Hae Chan did not get offended. But he sure did like to pick fights.

“I’m just saying some of your powers require different skills,” Mark said, mentally preparing himself for what was coming.

“He’s calling our powers weak and saying we have lesser skills than him,” Hae Chan snorted. And there it was. His daily nitpicking and twisting of words that came out of Mark’s mouth.

Mark didn’t understand why Hae Chan was like that. From the first day he had been recruited, it was like the boy had made it his lifetime goal to make his life miserable. With constant nitpicking and useless arguments, Hae Chan sure did know how to make him look like the bad guy. It was so crazy, Mark even considered leaving the team because of him. And he started the team.

“Hey!” Jae Min shouted as he realized what they were saying and crossed his arms ready to defend himself. “Empathy is not a weak power! I can manipulate your feelings and emotions and tell how you’re doing.”

“Oh yeah that’s so useful out in the battlefield,” Mark said half-jokingly, half-sarcastic.

What came next was a half-serious argument between everyone except Ji Sung who chose to focus on his computer while Jeno shouted that telepathy came in quite useful in the battlefield and Hae Chan said his mind-reading powers were nothing compared to his teleportation and enhanced vision. That was then followed by Jae Min defending his best friend, saying he could learn all of Hae Chan’s dirtiest secrets and use them against him. Then Hae Chan freaked out when he began hearing Jeno’s voice in his head and told him to get out before he turned him to dirt. And the fighting continued like that until Ji Sung decided to step in.

“Hey guys!” Ji Sung shouted to get everyone’s attention. Everyone stopped what they were doing, including Hae Chan who put his hand down, stopping himself from turning Jeno to dirt. The youngest boy sighed, wondering why he seemed to be the most mature in the group. “It doesn’t matter whose power seems superior. I have prepared a plan for tomorrow that will require all of our skills.”

“Did you finally hack into the buildings inner storage files?” Hae Chan asked, looking up at one of the many screens.

“I found the room where all of their files have been stored,” Ji Sung said as he projected a blueprint with all of his notes on the main screen. “Hacking into the actual online storage will take too long at this point with all the security. Sneaking in would be easier so, these are my plans for tomorrow.”

Everyone stayed silent for a moment as they scanned the blueprint and all the side notes. Mark was the first one to speak when he clasped his hands together and said, “Alright team, everyone go home and have a good night's rest. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow. Also, someone tell Chenle he actually has to show up to meetings to be a member.”

 

* * *

 

 _‘Is this Do Young?’_ Jae Hyun’s eyes scanned the text before he clicked the send button. It wasn’t like he had never talked to the guy before. They both were in the honors program which resulted in a lot of encounters and same classes, but he had never actually worked with the guy before. He had friends who had had class projects with him before and they all complained about the same thing: He was too stuck up. A “control freak” they called him. Honestly, Jae Hyun was the slightest bit intimidated.

But before Jae Hyun could dwell on the thought any longer, his phone’s screen lit up, a reply from Do Young that said _‘Why would I give you a fake number?’_

Jae Hyun felt stupid all of the sudden and it didn’t help the intimidation he felt for the guy. _‘Yeah, that makes sense. This is Jae Hyun, btw’_

 _‘Who else would it be?’_ A reply came almost instantly and, once again, Jae Hyun felt stupid. Of course he would know it was him, he gave him his number after all.

 _‘Sorry. Force of habit. Anyways, my schedule is a bit of a mess but I can spare time for our meetings whenever you’re free.’_ Jae Hyun stared at his phone, watching the three dots indicating Do Young was typing. He prayed Do Young was able to figure out a reasonable schedule that could work with his superhero life. Though, considering he never knew when Doctor Death would attack, it was hard to tell when he would be free and when he wouldn’t.

 _‘I don’t have an exact schedule but I’m usually free on any day except Mondays and Fridays. I’ll text you whenever I’m free and at the library. Bye.’_ Jae Hyun’s eyebrows furrowed at the message. The guy expected him to work his schedule around him? Whenever he was free? He was certain Do Young would have a more precise schedule for them considering the things his friends had told him. But he decided not to worry about it. With some luck, maybe there wouldn’t be any attacks when he worked with Do Young.

Jae Hyun went to sleep after his conversation with Do Young. He couldn’t keep staying up so late if he needed to work his schedule around his.

 

The next day went by as usual, and Jae Hyun found himself with less worry about Doctor Death. But with his mind clearing from the evil villain, he had more room to worry about his assignment with Do Young. Especially after he messaged him midday telling him to meet him in the library after their class together.

So when Jae Hyun walked into the library after class, he froze when he saw Do Young sitting at the farthest back table with a stack of textbooks next to him and a laptop at side.

“He wants to kill me already,” Jae Hyun mumbled to himself before he walked over and sat across from Do Young.

The raven-haired boy didn’t look up from the textbook he was scanning, feeling Jae Hyun’s presence. “You’re late. I said meet me here after class. The same class we have together.”

Jae Hyun closed his eyes, knowing he should have expected Do Young to be a punctual person. But even so, he had only stopped by the restroom for three minutes and it hadn’t even been five minutes since their class ended. Yet he still couldn’t find it in him to defend himself and mumbled a quick apology before asking what he should work on.

“You can start researching the topic and then begin the intro. I have the rest covered,” Do Young said, still not bothering to spare Jae Hyun a glance.

Jae Hyun didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t even one-hundred percent sure what their topic was and their angle they were taking with it. Do Young hadn’t told him anything about it and it wasn’t like he had been paying attention in class when it was assigned. As if the older boy could sense his inner conflicts, he stopped typing with one hand, reaching for a sheet of paper on his side, and handing it to Jae Hyun, all while not looking away or stopping his typing once.

“All of my plans for this project are on there. The topic, the angle, and how we’re dividing up the work.” Jae Hyun scanned the paper, a frown crossing his face as he realized Do Young was taking all the work up except for the intro.

“But you’re doing everything,” Jae Hyun said as he put the sheet down and looked up at the boy.

“I know. It’s easier that way,” Do Young said unamused. “I don’t trust others with my grades.”

“We’re both honors students though,” Jae Hyun mumbled. That seemed to do it for Do Young though, because he finally stopped whatever he was doing and looked up at the younger brown-haired boy.

“So? No one ever questions me doing all the work. Shouldn’t you be happy?” Do Young asked, and Jae Hyun swore he didn’t understand the other’s thought process. How was someone so- well- he couldn’t even come up with a proper word to describe Do Young. Never in his life had he encountered someone who was so stuck-up and rude and-

Jae Hyun looked down at his phone, hearing the sudden ringing. But very much to his surprise, it wasn’t his. It was Do Young’s, and he was currently reaching for his phone at max speed with an angry look on his face as soon as he saw who it was. He groaned, answering the phone reluctantly with an exasperated tone. “What do you want?” He hissed.

Jae Hyun couldn’t hear who the other person was or what they were saying, but from the loud yelling and crashing he was able to hear from the background, he assumed it was urgent. Do Young’s face morphed into a frown and for a slight moment, Jae Hyun was sure he saw a glint of panic in his eyes.

“Okay, I’ll be there soon,” Do Young said, an unreadable tone and expression. He then proceeded to hang up before turning to face Jae Hyun with a different unreadable expression. “I have to go,” He said as he looked away from him once again and began packing up his things. “I’ll text you our next meeting time soon.” And before Jae Hyun could question who called him or what was so urgent or why someone like him didn’t have his phone on silent while being in the library, Do Young was gone.

 

* * *

 

Mark looked over Ji Sung’s shoulder, scanning everything on the screen as the boy typed at a furiously rapid speed. It was funny though, even with his super senses and cool superpowers, Mark could still not understand more than five percent of what appeared on the computer. Ji Sung truly had a talent when it came to technology- more so, the area of hacking. And with the younger boys heightened powers, he was even better at this than before, which Mark didn’t even think possible.

“Keep looking, you still won’t understand anything,” Ji Sung said as he continued to type in a bunch of codes that were way past the older boy’s braincell capability.

“You’re right,” Mark mumbled as he leaned away and began to look around the room. “I still don’t understand how you’ve always been so great with technology."

“It’s just in my blood,” Ji Sung answered, half-interested in the conversation.

Mark did always wonder what Ji Sung meant by that. The two had met not too long ago when he was a senior and the other was a freshman in high school. They had both ended up in the same advanced computer class and, while Mark struggled to even log into his computer, Ji Sung was typing away furiously, getting weeks ahead of the assignments and even hacking into the teachers computer to change the weekly video screenings they were meant to watch.

Once Mark had asked Ji Sung how he was able to comprehend so much and the younger only shrugged, saying, “I have a big head.” Mark didn’t know if he was serious. Yes, the younger boy often mentioned he had a big head and all helmets he tried on at the bike shop were too big for him (though Jae Min claimed that was only his excuse for not learning to ride a bike), but Mark wasn’t sure if that was really the reason why he was able to be so good with computers. He was sure there was more to it, but the only other response he would give was that it was in his blood.

Though, Mark never pried for a better explanation. It was true, Ji Sung had been the teammate he’d known the longest out of everyone, but they also weren’t super close. In reality, they had only teamed up because the younger once spotted Mark bleeding out on the sidewalk when walking home from a PC room once late at night. He had frowned at the sight, pulled out an earbud, stared down at him for a good ten seconds, and asked, “Are you dying?”

After that incident Mark had to explain why he was bleeding out in the middle of the neighborhood at two in the morning and, reluctantly, told him about his superpowers and the troubles he had gotten himself into by trying to protect defenseless people. Ji Sung had gone eyewided for a moment before going back to his normal blank look right after. He then sighed and Mark was unsure as to what he had been thinking, but the boy only looked up and nodded. “Okay, I’ll join your team,” Was all he said after. And the rest happened pretty fast.

Jae Min was Ji Sung’s very nosy neighbor from across the street while Jeno was his very unplatonic and almost equally nosy best friend who came over every day. It was only natural the two would pry at Mark and Ji Sung’s lives one lazy afternoon and hear things they really shouldn’t have. Of course they wanted to join the team and didn’t hesitate in telling the two about their own powers (of course they had to admit Jeno had telepathy and they were listening in on them when Mark asked how they knew about his senses). They were also quick in deciding to call themselves ‘Dream’ because it fit their powers and goals.

After the joining of the nosy best friends, Ji Sung asked if he could bring a friend from school since they were now recruiting. “Sure, why not? We might as well start putting up public ads,” Mark had groaned, obviously sarcastic. Ji Sung, though, hadn’t noticed and smiled wide while saying, “Thanks.” The next day Ji Sung had brought in a Chinese friend from school who claimed he had replication powers.The two had seemed so cute together, Mark didn’t have the heart to tell them he hadn’t been serious. Plus, Chenle served as a good fetching puppy.

Hae Chan, now, he was the last member to join. He was also the member Mark had been most reluctant in letting in. To him, Hae Chan was just like his powers: Too trippy for him to handle. It had only been two months since they let him into the team, meaning he knew him the least of all the members (without counting the few years of high school and middle school and elementary school they had spent ignoring each other), and he could already one-hundred percent for sure say he was regretting it.

It had been a day like any other with the team working in the small spare room that stood next to Ji Sung’s dad’s shop, when they all heard strange noises coming from the side of the building. Scared that they had been caught, Ji Sung pulled up the camera screens on the monitor and they all saw a guy in a hood spray painting the side of the building. When they all ran out to stop the hooded guy, he began to run away and they were able to chase him down into an alley. That was where it happened.

It was a crazy situation and they were all quite surprised when he turned to them, a barely visible smirk on his face, and he vanished. And then he appeared again behind them. And he disappeared once more, before appearing on the other side once again. "Demon!" Chenle had yelled as he tried throwing a rock at the guy who vanished once again before reappearing behind them. And that was when Mark's senses went off and time slowed down, and as he had appeared once more, his webs activated and wrapped around the other. They were pretty sure he would have vanished one again, taking the chance to run away if it weren’t for the fact that both he and Mark ended up staring at each other in awe, realizing they both had superpowers. That was when Hae Chan took off his hood and the others began to question him.

“You have powers?” They had asked. “We do too!”

After that they all begged Mark to let Hae Chan into Dream team and, as much as he hated to let someone so reckless in, he figured it be best to have him under his supervision.

And that was how the group of six came to be through the past year.

“Mark,” Ji Sung’s voice came ringing through his head, snapping him out of his thoughts and forcing him to look down at the blond who continued to type away. “We’re ready to go in.”

Mark nodded, leaning away and looking around the room once again to make sure everyone was there. Hae Chan was somewhere in the back of the room sleeping, Jeno and Jae Min were cuddling on the couch while watching something on the laptop and- Mark frowned. “Where’s Chenle?”

As the question slipped out of his mouth, the boy appeared in front of him, asking, “You called?” And then another him right behind him also asking, “You called?” And like that, many versions of the boy appeared, filling up the room and asking the same thing until they all in unison asked, “You called? You called? _You called?_ ”

Mark sighed, running a hand through his hair. “How many times are you going to do that?”

Chenle shrugged, all of his multiple replicas flashing back to him as he continued to smile brightly, waiting for Mark’s instructions.

“I need everyone to gather around,” Mark said as he turned to everyone in the room. “It’s time to go into operation.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“This is so boring,” Hae Chan groaned as he leaned against the seats in the van. “Why do I have to stay in the van?”

Ji Sung, who was setting up the equipment besides him, adjusting the different monitors and making sure they were all good to go, shrugged. “Because you're too reckless with your powers,” He mumbled, “and we need someone in here.”

“I can’t believe even you get to go out to the field,” Hae Chan pouted as he crossed his arms together. “You’re the hacker, isn’t it you job to stay inside the shady white van?”

“Normally, yes,” Ji Sung said, still focused on his electronics. “But this connections is too unstable. I need to go inside to see if I can hack the files.”

“And if you can’t?” Hae Chan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“We have Mark.”

Hae Chan opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Mark’s voice came through the earpiece everyone was wearing. “Is everyone in place?”

“Yes,” Hae Chan groaned.

“Right here,” Jae Min said, checking in from his bench where he sat at the park. Immediately one of the monitors brightened up, showing Jae Min’s point of view from the camera he had in the glasses he wore.

“Are you reading the newspaper?” Hae Chan asked in amusement.

“It’s for my cover. Did you know the city is having a-”

“I’m in place,” Chenle’s voice came through, cutting Jae Min off before he could tell them all about the interesting things he was finding in the newspaper. Another monitor brightened up, showing Chenle’s point of view from the convenience store across the street and-

“Seriously, Chenle? Ramen?” Ji Sung asked and the other boy yelled defensively.

“I’m also in position,” Jeno came through, as his screen came on.

“Jeno, where are you?” Hae Chan asked, not able to see anything on his screen. Ji Sung, also taking notice, began to type a series of codes into the computer in attempts to fix it.

“Oops, sorry,” Jeno said, and suddenly his screen became bright as, wherever his glasses were stuffed, opened up, and he pulled them out and put them on, giving a clear view of the building. “I left them in my briefcase,” He explained and everyone groaned simultaneously.

“Okay, and I’m in,” Mark’s voice came in, followed my some muffled grunting. Seconds later his view came into screen and they could see him climbing up on to the roof. “Let’s get it!”

 

* * *

 

“I’m here for the internship interview,” Jeno said as pulled out his ID from his briefcase and handed it to the secretary at the front desk. The girl scanned it and nodded before handing it back to him and typing some things into the computer.

“You can go up the elevator to the tenth floor and it’ll be the room at the very end of the hall,” The secretary said before she handed him his nametag that would allow him to pass security and go through the building.

“Thank you,” He said, taking his ID and putting it on before heading off to the elevator. As he climbed into the elevator, he put his earpiece back on and informed the others. “I made it in.”

Meanwhile, inside the van, Ji Sung took the cue and packed up his laptop and some other equipment into a briefcase. “Okay, I’m going in now,” Ji Sung said before he turned to Haechan. “Are you going to be okay in here?”

Hae Chan shrugged, looking bored as he stared down at his nails. “I’m not a kid.”

Ji Sung stopped himself from saying anything else and opened the backdoors of the van, hopping out before he closed them. “Mark, you left the backdoors open right?” He asked as he began to walk over to the backside of the tall building.

“I’m not there yet,” Mark said. “I just barely opened the door on the roof. I’m heading down the stairs now, I’ll meet you there.”

Ji Sung groaned, continuing to head to the back only to wait for Mark to open the backdoors for him. They were falling behind schedule.

“When am I going in?” Chenle’s voice came through. “I finished my ramen.”

Ji Sung sighed.

 

* * *

 

Jae Min set his newspaper down, growing tired of just sitting around and waiting for the others to do their jobs before he could go in and do his. The plan originally was Jeno going in for an internship interview, but sneaking off to the security room that was right besides where the interviews were taking place, and turning off the power long enough for Ji Sung to get past the security and hack in. Meanwhile Mark was supposed to receive instructions from Ji Sung on where to go through to find the file room.

Chenle and Jae Min were supposed to be diversions for the security with their empathy and replication powers, but nothing was going according to plan. Mark took too long in breaking in through the roof and Jeno had gotten disconnected after he got to the tenth floor. And who even knew what Ji Sung was up to. He was probably stuffed inside some vent, typing away at his computer as he tried to reach Jeno.

It was seeming like Jae Min’s time to shine wouldn’t come today. So he decided to play around and communicate with the stray kitties he saw in the park.

“Where are you going, Jae Min?” Hae Chan’s voice came in through the earpiece, startling the boy who had forgotten all about it.

“I’m bored,” Jae Min said. “I’m going to play with the kitties.”

And so, Jae Min walked over to the other side of the park where three kittens were playing with each other, rolling around on the soft grass and letting out soft mewls. A smile spread across his face as he kneeled down to play with them, taking off his glasses so Hae Chan couldn’t judge him.

Jae Min had never said it out loud before, but he really struggled when he first discovered his powers. Empathy was something he always had even without powers, but the levels were so different and even then he had struggled with it. Being able to read others emotions and feel them was sometimes overwhelming. And when his powers came to him that one day, he couldn’t control them. Jeno had told him he couldn’t control his powers either when he first got them, and he knew for a fact that Hae Chan and Mark still struggled with theirs, so he assumed it was something normal. But it had still been such an overwhelming experience.

He still remembered how much he had struggled getting them under control. The first week had been awful. One day he was all normal, walking down the school hall with his earbuds in, listening to Red Velvet, and the next… It was awful. This sudden overwhelming sense of emotion hit him and everything after became a blur. The things he had felt in that moment were so vivid, so strong. He felt happiness, rage, loneliness, love, yearning, anxiety, sorrow, and every other type of emotion possible all at once. It had been such a painful experience he had fallen to the ground in the middle of the busy streets of Seoul, covering his ears while he groaned loudly in pain before clutching his chest and sobbing uncontrollably. After that he passed out and was taken to the hospital where he ended up feeling a lot of depression.

Jae Min stayed home in his blankets for a week after that, trying to recover from whatever it was that had hit him. But it was hard. He could feel everything around him. He could feel his parents worry, he could feel his neighbors yearning for a lover, the neighbors distress over the rents bills, and so on. Eventually he learned how to block it out for small amounts of time, and later on he learned how to block it out enough to where he could almost function normally in life and go back to school. And after a year he had it completely under control, though there were still times when he got too emotion driven and lost it.

But for now, he could handle it. He could even control it so well, he learned to have emotional connections with animals, far beyond that of any normal human being.

“Hello kitties,” Jae Min said as he began to play with the kittens, extending his finger out to their paws and sensing their pure and joyful nature. “You three are so cute.”

Jae Min smiled softly as he continued playing with the three kittens, feeling himself more and more energized with each passing second. But that feeling didn’t last long after.

As he stayed there longer, sitting on the soft grass in the middle of the park with the cats, he began to grow dizzy. It was slow and gradual, he almost didn’t feel it at first. _Must not have drank enough water today,_ he had thought to himself at first, shrugging off the dizziness. But then it grew into a headache and it was no longer a slow and gradual feeling. In a matter of seconds he had begun to feel pain, as if he was beginning to lose control of his powers and something else was trying to take over.

“What-?” Jae Min tried to speak, glancing around the park to find the source of his sudden fatigued state. He thought he could see a dark figure, someone dressed in all black, sitting on one of the park benches directly across from him, but his vision began to blur.

As if losing complete control of his body, Jae Min stood up and began walking over to the figure, stumbling on his steps, losing his balance out of nowhere as his vision continued to go out of focus.

“Hey Jae Min-” He was sure he heard someone calling him from the earpiece, but he couldn’t concentrate. He couldn’t focus. He couldn’t think.

“I-” Jae Min tried to talk, but his mouth was dry, he had no control over it. He had no control over anything.

And before he was able to comprehend what he was doing, he had walked over to the person dressed in all black, a boy, looking not far from his age. He was pretty.

Jae Min groaned as the boy stopped what he was doing and looked up from his phone, feeling a sudden pain, very much similar to the one he had felt all those years back. His vision blurred once again as he began to fall down to his knees, and he was sure he could see worry on the pretty boy’s face. Or maybe just a frown.

“Hey-” They boy started, before he grunted, as if he could feel Jae Min’s pain.

 _I’m losing control,_ Jae Min thought as he completely fell to the hard ground, right before he began to cover his ears, releasing a series of pained groans.

“Jae Min!” He was sure he could hear Jeno’s voice calling to him from somewhere. Where? Right, the earpiece.

Jae Min let out another pained groan, feeling that overwhelming sense of emotions once again. He shut his eyes tight, rolling on the ground, onto his back. He opened his eyes, tears blurring his vision as his hearing began to go out. There was that guy staring down at him, a pained expression on his face. He was also on the ground. Why? Jae Min questioned.

But he was out of it. The last things he remembered before he passed out were seeing that guy, and then his friends running to him. Chenle, Hae Chan. Jeno... He could hear Jeno’s voice. Calling to him.

_Jae Min!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot longer and uhm, I hope you all like. Thank you for reading! -J
> 
> SHOTS EVERYBODY!!! AHHHHH!!!!  
> ~Nae
> 
> Nae likes quoting vine references.


	3. The Fall of a Hero is the Rise of Another

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Really?! You want to do this now?!” Mark yelled at the younger boy in exasperation before dodging another exploding arrow.
> 
> “Just admit you never wanted me on the team!” Hae Chan yelled angrily as he shot another arrow. “You think you’re so great just because you’ve had your powers longer!” He made another attack. “But you don’t even use them because you’re scared!” And another attack.
> 
> It was Mark’s turn to begin his series of attacks. Both verbal and physical. “Yes! I never wanted you on the team!” He made an attack. “Because you are reckless!” Another attack. “And you can’t control your equally reckless abilities!” Another attack. “And you have a big ego!”

When Jae Min woke up, he was back in their little shack-like room. He blinked, memories from the previous events coming back to him as he kept his eyes trained on the ceiling. He tried to sit up, only to feel sudden fatigue, and grunting in pain.

“He’s up,” Hae Chan’s voice came.

Jae Min heard a bunch of shifting in the room and tried to sit up once again, only to fail miserably.

“Don’t move too much, you’re in pain,” He heard Jeno’s voice as the boy quickly rushed to his side and helped him sit up.

“What happened?” Jae Min asked, blinking a couple of times until his sigh came into focus and he saw all five of his friends surrounding him on the couch.

“We should be asking you that,” Hae Chan snorted. “One moment I was calling you to come into operation and the next you were groaning and yelling and panting so we went to find you all passed out.”

Jae Min’s head clicked. The mission. “Wait, the mission! What happen-?!”

“Shh,” Jeno was quick to shush him.

“Don’t worry about that. It was doomed from the start anyways,” Mark spoke softly. Suddenly he seemed so big to Jae Min, so much older and wiser, despite the fact that they only had a one-year age difference.

“I- I don’t know,” Jae Min said, shaking his head slowly as he looked down at his hands. He suddenly looked back up at everyone, concern covering his face. “What happened to him?”

“Him?” Jeno questioned, eyebrows scrunching up in confusion as everyone else in the room shared the same confused look. “Who?”

“That guy that was sitting on the bench,” Jae Min said, a bit or desperation in his tone. “He was trying to help me- I think? He- well- he-” Jae Min stopped himself, having sudden flashbacks of the moment. Remembering pretty boy’s face. The frown on his face as he looked down at him. “He was like me,” Jae Min mumbled softly.

Jeno put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly. “Jae Min… When we found you, you were alone.”

“But-” Jae Min stopped himself again. He looked up at Mark, Hae Chan, Chenle, Ji Sung. They all had the same look on their faces. And the same emotions. The were concerned for him. “I felt it.”

“He had powers?” Chenle asked, raising an eyebrow. Everyone looked at the boy before they looked back at Jae Min expectantly.

“No,” Jae Min mumbled, looking back down once again. He didn’t know. He didn’t understand what it was he had felt. Pain? Grief? Loneliness? Nothing? “I don’t know. I just- I felt something.”

“Well,” Jeno started as he leaned his head on Jae Min’s shoulder. “Whoever he was, he’s gone and maybe we’ll find him later. But we need to focus on your recovery first.”

“Let’s take a break for now, guys,” Mark said, clasping his hands together. “Maybe we could all use a break.”

 

* * *

 

It was Friday and Jae Hyun fell back on his couch, releasing a loud groan. He didn’t have to worry about his project with Do Young. For the past few days he had been worrying the guy would force him to work extra hard since they hadn’t had the chance to do much that day their session was interrupted by the call. But it was finally Friday and, like Do Young had told him before, he was busy those days allowing Jae Hyun to rest.

He wondered how he should reward himself for surviving another week without dying. A movie? A movie sounded like a good idea. So he turned on the television and walked over to the kitchen to make popcorn. As he rummaged through the pantry he could hear the news playing in the living room. Something about an attack in the middle of the city and-

Jae Hyun froze, feeling himself shiver. Not again, He thought to himself as he rushed upstairs to grab his hood. “Just one day,” Jae Hyun thought to himself as he began to hurry down the stairs, “All I ask is for one day without something crazy going on.”

Before he could think anymore about the situation, Jae Hyun had walked out the door and, as fast as the speed out sound, he had zoomed through the entire city until he ended up right in the middle of the mess. And there he saw him. Doctor Death.

“You showed up again,” Doctor Death’s voice came, dark and mysterious through the voice generator. “I didn’t think you were that bold.”

“I’ll keep showing up again and again until I can finally stop your terrorizing of the people,” Jae Hyun spoke, loud and clear. Though he would admit, he was scared he sounded weak with just him standing there in the middle of the mess in a black hood while Doctor Doom was floating around with a cool suit and cape and mask and the whole shabam.

“Hmm, is that a challenge?” Doctor Death asked, sending chills down Jae Hyun’s back. He flinched. Was it a challenge? Should he challenge a mastermind supervillain? Was that a bad idea? Was there some superhero guidebook that had a section dedicated to this?

But before Jae Hyun could question any longer, Doctor Death was already using his powers to lift things and throw them in his direction, and Jae Hyun found his instincts pushing him to use his super agility to jump around. It was crazy how fast he could run, how high he could jump, how much he could lift. It made him feel so powerful, but in a good way. In a way he could protect the defenseless ones.

Jae Hyun also though how funny it was, comparing his control over his powers from when he first got them to now. And comparing his first few fights against Doctor Death to now. He was definitely resisting Doctor Death’s attacks much better and not getting butt completely whooped. Though he still wasn’t doing nearly as much damage to the other as he did to him, it was an improvement.

“You’ve gotten better,” Doctor Death complimented when they stood face to face in the middle of the almost empty street. Most of the people had evacuated, but the public remained just far enough to be able to watch the two without being in complete danger. And there were also a couple of news reporters recording from a distance.

“Thank you,” Jae Hyun responded. “I try.”

Then Doctor Death smirked, and it all came so fast after that. “But not enough,” He said, and Jae Hyun suddenly felt a strong blow. He flew back. He flew so far back and hard, when he landed on the concrete he left a huge dent, making the ground lift up around him like a crater. He could hear everyone around him, gasping, yelling. It was chaos. And then he blacked out.

It was truly an experience he would never forget. An experience no one would ever forget, because it had been broadcasted nationally. It had been put other there for the entire country to watch. Even those in a small little shack-like room not too far from the place of the incident. The Dream team.

“That was-” Mark cut himself off as he camera began to zoom in on the hooded-masked figure who laid lifelessly in the middle of the road.

“Crazy,” Hae Chan finished for him.

They were all stunned. Shocked. Wordless. Since the start they had followed the battles between Captain J and Doctor Death, intrigued by the fact that there were others with powers just like them; And there was someone using them for good. A better good then they used their own powers. And they had all rooted for the courageous Captain J, hoping he could defeat the evil villain. But then this happened.

“We need to go out there and help him!” Hae Chan shouted, turning to face everyone in the room. They all looked at him stunned, clearly still shocked from what just happened.

“Hae Chan-” Jeno began to speak.

“No, don’t start now, Jeno,” Hae Chan spoke, “Captain J is just like us. He has these abilities. He uses them for good, he defeats evil! Something we can't do. But we need to help him. Show him he’s not alone.”

“That would mean exposing ourselves,” Mark spoke out, making everyone in the room turn to him. “We can’t risk that.”

Hae Chan looked back at the screen where Captain J still laid lifeless on the road, no on daring to approach him in the fear that Doctor Death would do something to them. There was only the villain there, hovering above his body as if he was trying to decide what to do with him.

“He’s going to kill him,” Hae Chan pleaded, begging eyes looking through the room.

“He can’t do that!” Jae Min yelled defensively. “Who would protect the people?”

“Which is why we have to help him!” Hae Chan yelled exasperatedly, throwing his hands up in the air. “We can’t leave him to die! He’s one of us. He’s a defender of the people.”

“He’ll get up,” Chenle spoke up, eyes watching the screen once again. “He has too.”

“He can’t, he’s knocked out,” Ji Sung spoke, hands fumbling around as he also watched the screen. “It would be a miracle.”

“But he’s a super like us,” Mark also spoke up. “We don’t die just like that.”

“Jae Min literally passed out in the middle of a park a few days ago because he saw a pretty boy and lost control of his powers,” Hae Chan deadpanned.

“Hey!” Jae Min yelled defensively, but Hae Chan couldn’t hear him.

“We have to help him, guys,” Hae Chan said one last time. “I don’t care if you don’t agree with me, I’m going.”

And before any of the could say anything, Hae Chan grabbed his hood, his bow, swung his arrows over a shoulder, and teleported out.

“He doesn’t have a mask, they’re going to see his face!” Jae Min shouted in realization.

“He carries a mask around,” Jeno said, and they all turned to look at him. He shrugged. “I read his mind once. He said it helps control his vision and, ‘just in case’.”

They all turned back to the screen once again where they camera zoomed in on Hae Chan who came running in out of nowhere, wearing his gray hoodie and holding his bow, while cursing at Doctor Death. Before anyone, including Doctor Death, could process what was happening, Hae Chan was pulling an arrow out, getting into position, and aiming at the villain. And when he let go, there was a loud explosion right next to Doctor Death, throwing him back a bit.

“He hasn’t learned how to mix his vision and teleportation powers with his archery skills yet,” Mark said, a hint of worry in his voice as he leaned towards the screen more and bit his bottom lip. “He can’t win.”

There was another moment of silence where they watched Hae Chan go up against Doctor Death, yelling some things at him that they couldn’t hear. And then Doctor Death’s loudspeaker voice said something about being surprised there were more and so on. They watched as Hae Chan began to use his powers for the first time in a while, teleporting out of sight before reappearing in mid air, shooting another arrow and disappearing once again before it exploded. The audience was shook. The Dream members were shook.

They knew Hae Chan was powerful. But only as powerful as everyone else in that room, except for maybe Mark. But it wasn't everyday they got to see his powers and skills in such great action. For quite a while Mark had to constantly remind Hae Chan that their powers were only to be used in dire situations, and with the underground work they did he never really did have to use them. But in an action scene as such, the way Hae Chan was able to use his teleportation powers to appear and disappear through the sky, while using his archery to shoot at Doctor Death so gracefully, it was a very cool sight. And though they couldn't see it, they were pretty sure the reason he was able to do it with so much ease was because his enhanced vision allowed him to process all of his surroundings at an accelerated rate, alerting him when he was falling so he could quickly teleport to the ground.

Letting out a breath of relief, Hae Chan pushed his hands forward, teleporting a burst of air, creating a shock wave that hit Doctor Death and made him fall down.

“Did you guys know he could do that?” Chenle asked from his seat in shock.

“No, definitely not,” Jae Min responded, his mouth wide open.

“If I had known he could really use his powers I wouldn’t have taunted him inside his mind so much,” Jeno mumbled.

But before they could all be in awe for much longer, Hae Chan lost control and got hit when he teleported back midair. He began falling for the second time, flashing over and over as if he couldn't control his powers, until he was finally able to regain control and teleport safely to the ground once more.

“I’m going in,” Mark spoke as stood straight, not able to watch anymore as the troublesome boy was barely dodging the villain’s attacks.

“Wait,” Ji Sung called out before Mark could head out the door. He began to go through a series of boxes, looking for something before he pulled it out and tossed it in his direction.

Mark caught the garment the younger boy had tossed him, unfolding it, eyes scanning the piece of clothing. It was a hoodie- no- it wasn’t just a hoodie. It was a hoodie with, what he assumed, was the Dream logo. It had a spray-painted graphic look to it, and it was the words Dream Team on the backside of the sleeves in very colorful, rainbow colors. And when he turned it around to the front, it was his very own logo. A large, yellow M in the center of what looked like a red spray-painted spider.

“This-” Mark began, but he couldn’t find the words.

“I sent a bunch to be made,” Ji Sung said. “We all helped in designing them.”

Mark smiled, putting the hoodie on before he faced them all once again.

“If you’re going, you will need this,” Jeno said as he got up from his seat, went to the back, and brought back something to Mark. “Ji Sung got this made from a shady guy in Russia. We all knew how you were struggling with your heightened senses and focusing them so we were going to surprise you with it.”

Mark looked down at the object that Jeno was handing him. It was a weird sort of pair of glasses? Goggles? A mask? He put it on, instantly understanding what Jeno meant by helping him out with his senses. Everything was so in focus. His powers were adjusting to the weird mask thing in a way they had never done before. “Guys, I-”

But before Mark could finish his sentence, they heard a loud crash coming from the screen and they all turned to see Hae Chan falling to the ground with a loud thud.

“I need to go,” Mark said.

“Take this,” Ji Sung said as he tossed him another hoodie. “It’s Hae Chan’s.”

Mark nodded, clutching the hoodie close as he ran out of the building. When he was out he began to scan his surroundings, using his senses to scan where the danger might be. Instantly he felt that tingly sensation and turned around, knowing where to head off to. But it was too far. He would never make it in time to help Hae Chan. Unless…

Mark let out a sigh, knowing what he had to do. He went up to the rooftop of the building, and he ran and jumped. And he began falling, and falling, and fell until- He did it! He had reached out his hand and successfully shot out the web from his hands. And he was swinging.

“Oh my gah,” Mark mumbled as he brought up his other hand to shoot out a web from it and swing to the next building. “I’m doing it! I’m doing i-!”

And then he lost control and accidentally let go. Luckily, though, he was able to shoot up another web before he hit the ground and was swinging once again. It was such a breathtaking experience, being able to swing from building to building, feeling the cool air against his face, it was like flying. Floating in air. It was spectacular.

 

* * *

 

Hae Chan was getting his butt kicked. He didn’t know what had come over him to bring him this far, but whatever it was, it was long gone. He no longer had that secure control over his powers and was just sloppily teleporting from the road, to the air, to the top of a building, and back in air, trying his best to dodge Doctor Death’s attacks while praying that Captain J would stop being unconscious and help him out. But he didn’t.

And once again, Doctor Death was able to make another strike, sending Hae Chan off into the air, falling fast and hard. He brought his hands up, trying to teleport his way down to the ground, but he had lost complete control.

“Oh no,” Hae Chan breathed as he found himself falling at an even faster pace. He sucked his breath in, waiting for the impact. But it never came. Instead, he felt something wrap around him and pull him up.

“Mark!” Hae Chan exclaimed when he saw the older boy sticking to the side of a building while pulling him up with his web. “You came to help!”

“I came because you were getting your butt kicked and it was sad to watch,” Mark said, and Hae Chan could almost see his eye roll behind the mask he was wearing.

“And the hoodies came in?!” Hae Chan asked when Mark set him down on the ground and stood besides him. Mark nodded and handed him his. The boy immediately took off the gray hoodie he was wearing and put on the one the older had handed him.

From the back, Hae Chan’s hoodie contained the same Dream logo with the paint splatter and spray paint look. But unlike Mark’s, the front contained a different logo. It was spray-painted looking image of a sunset with a silhouette in front of someone (Hae Chan, most likely), holding a bow and arrow, aiming at an unseen target. And in big, bold letters: Full Sun.

The younger boy then turned to Mark, a smile on his face that the other was immediately able to read.

“Let’s get it!” Mark yelled, and without wasting another second, they began to launch forward at Doctor Death with full force.

Hae Chan stood at Mark’s left, setting an arrow into place. Meanwhile Mark swung up once again with his webs, beginning to lift up things to throw at Doctor Death.

“How cute, you have a friend,” Doctor Death spoke as he began to fly around, dodging the attacks before making some of his own. “Maybe this will be even funner.”

“We won’t let you have your way!” Hae Chan yelled, launching another arrow in Doctor Death’s direction that he was able to successfully dodge, before getting hit by a rock that Mark had thrown at him.

Doctor Death looked stunned for a moment, glancing back and forth between the two boys that high-fived as Mark swung by the other. A smile then appeared on his face, making the two boys stop their little celebration. “You two kids are cute. It’s fun, but it’s obvious you’re amateurs.”

“We aren’t amateurs,” Hae Chan defended, his nose scrunching up.

“Yes, you are,” Mark said as he glanced over at Hae Chan. “You barely have control over your powers.”

Hae Chan's arms fell down, letting loose of the arrow he was holding as he turned to look over at Mark, no longer paying attention to Doctor Death who only smiled wider. “What do you mean?!”

“Exactly what I said,” Mark replied, still trying to focus on the task, though he knew Hae Chan was about to make it difficult. “You jumped into this mess recklessly when I told you not to. You know your control over your powers isn’t stable.”

Hae Chan snorted, crossing his arms and tossing his head back. “As if you are any better! You took a taxi the other day because you were too scared to use your webs!”

Somewhere back in their little hideout, Jae Min, Jeno, Chenle, and Ji Sung all simultaneously let out a sigh as they kept their eyes trained on the screen, anticipating what was coming. “And they were doing so well,” Jae Min said as he shook his head.

Before Doctor Death, the Dream Team, or the public could process what was going on, Hae Chan was aiming an arrow at Mark instead, while the older boy began swinging around, barely dodging the attacks before making some of his own.

“Really?! You want to do this now?!” Mark yelled at the younger boy in exasperation before dodging another exploding arrow.

“Just admit you never wanted me on the team!” Hae Chan yelled angrily as he shot another arrow. “You think you’re so great just because you’ve had your powers longer!” He made another attack. “But you don’t even use them because you’re scared!” And another attack.

It was Mark’s turn to begin his series of attacks. Both verbal and physical. “Yes! I never wanted you on the team!” He made an attack. “Because you are reckless!” Another attack. “And you can’t control your equally reckless abilities!” Another attack. “And you have a big ego!”

Hae Chan lifted his bow once again, getting his arrow ready before he teleported to the top of a building. Mark, on the other hand, got his hands in position, ready to swing away and dodge the arrows. But before any of that could happen, Doctor Death laughed. It was a scary for moment for everyone watching. It was also puzzling, especially to both Mark and Hae Chan who began to back down and turn to the villain. They then exchanged a glance, both looking just as confused as the other.

“I don’t even have to try!” Doctor Death laughed, clutching his stomach with one hand while pretending to wipe a tear with another. “You two are each other’s destruction!”

Mark let a huff, realizing what had just happened. He internally groaned, unable to believe the manipulation of Doctor Death. If it even was his manipulation. Hae Chan and him had so much tension between them, it wouldn’t surprise him if it was all their own doing. Actually, it was all their doing. Doctor Death didn’t even have to do anything for Mark and Hae Chan to screw things up all on their own.

“Oh you son of a b-!” Hae Chan began to yell, pulling out another arrow and bringing his bow up, teleporting into midair once again, before something happened. As fast as he teleported through the air, Hae Chan lost control of his powers once more and began to fall fast and hard once again.

“Hae Chan!” Mark yelled as he extended his hand, shooting out a web to catch him. But just as he did that, he lost control of his webs and began falling down too. The two boys were falling fast and hard, control of their powers nowhere in sight, long gone. They yelled, turning and twisting in the air as they got ready for impact. The audience were also at the edge of their seats, silently praying to themselves that something would happen before they hit the ground. Back in their little hideout, the rest of the Dream Team were standing up, containing too much anxiety to remain seated, fiddling with their hands as if that would make something happen.

And something did. One moment, Hae Chan and Mark were both falling to their doom, and the next something- someone- two someones- swooped in and saved them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nae really has me doing all the work, revising and re-editing, and re-writing big parts while she sits back and reads Johnil fics. Anyways the next chapter excites because it introduces my top two nct biases, my favorite ship, and my favorite arc. -J
> 
> Nae is too tired to write an endnote.


	4. The Vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There he was. The love of Yuta’s life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes a turn at the end. But it includes both Nae and I's favorite members so that's nice.

“Stupid kids!” Mark heard someone yell as he was lowered down to the ground. He opened his eyes, seeing some random guy in what seemed like a machine suit? Like something straight outta Iron Man but all navy blue with a touch of silver. Mark couldn’t say anything. He didn’t know if it was the shock of almost dying or the awe of an actual superhero who could control his powers. Although he wasn’t sure if he could completely consider a machine as such superpowers.

Then he saw another one. Not far from where he and his savior stood, Hae Chan was lowered down by another guy who wore a mask, similar to Hae Chan’s, had messy silver hair that went down to his barely visible, big eyes, and a red hoodie. It was kind of odd seeing how this guy was in an iron suit, and then the other was in a play, red hoodie, and worn out jeans.

“Who are you guys?” Hae Chan asked, glancing at Mark for a moment before looking back at their two saviors.

“That’s not important right now,” The guy who had saved Hae Chan said as he turned to look at Doctor Death.

When Mark and Hae Chan remembered the villain, they felt the panic rise once again and quickly turned to make sure he wasn’t doing anything troublesome. But, very much to their surprise, he was amused. He had his arms crossed, still flying up high as he looked down at everyone. “Though I must say this is quite an amusing sight, I’m rather bored now,” Doctor Death said. He then glanced at Captain J who still lied lifelessly on the ground not far from where they stood. “You should get him checked up. I only gave enough force to knock him out for a while but seeing as how he hasn’t woken up yet, he needs attention. If not I might even worry for the poor guy.”

Before anyone could say anything else, a portal opened and Doctor Death walked through it, disappearing right before everyone's eyes.

“Shi-!”

“Language!” Mark cut Hae Chan off, glancing at the boy who was kicking a pebble. He then turned to the two guys who had saved them, watching as the one in the iron suit picked up Captain J, ready to take him off to who knows where. “So who are you two?”

The guy in the red hoodie looked at Mark, and then at Hae Chan. He then looked at the people who still stared at them. “Not here,” He spoke. “Follow us.”

 

* * *

 

When the guy in the red hoodie had said ‘follow us’, Hae Chan and Mark hadn’t thought he meant to follow them to the back of an alley where they had their minivan parked, hidden from the public eye.

“Okay, no one can see us here,” The guy with the silver hair said as he began to take off his mask, revealing the most handsome face Mark had ever seen. “I put up an invisibility cloak, so you two are free to take off your masks also, unless you don’t trust us.”

Mark and Hae Chan exchanged a glance, shrugging before they both took off their masks and lowered their hoods. The guy in the iron suit, who was coming back to the handsome guy’s side after putting Captain J inside the car, whistled as he scanned the two boy’s faces. “You two really are just kids.”

“I’m eighteen, thank you very much,” Hae Chan scowled.

The guy in the iron suit’s mask suddenly lifted, revealing his face. He was a much older looking guy, maybe around the same age as the other one but with longer hair and stronger features that made him seem more mature. “Well, we’re both twenty-three, so-”

Hae Chan snorted, crossing his arms as he mumbled, “Oldies.”

“We’re not old,” The guy in the iron suit said, crossing his arms as a pretty offended and defensive look crossed his face.

“I bet you’re not as agile as we are,” Hae Chan retorted.

“Yes we are!” The guy in the suit defended, looking like he was about to lose it more and more, the longer he fought with Hae Chan.

Mark rolled his eyes, holding onto Hae Chan’s arm and pulling him back. “Behave, they saved us.”

“I didn’t need saving,” Hae Chan said too egoistic as he crossed his arms and scoffed.

“Excuse him,” Mark said as he gave the younger a glance. “He’s too egocentric.”

Hae Chan uncrossed his arms, clenching his fists as he got ready to fight once again. “You-”

“You two are too immature to handle your powers. That’s why you lost control out there,” The guy in the red hoodie said, his arms crossed and his eyes closed. “If you two are teammates then you should learn to act like it or else you’re going to fail every time you go out on the battlefield.”

“So who are you two to know these things?” Mark asked as he looked back and forth between the two older guys. “You two also have superpowers; How long? How do you control them? How do you know each other?”

The two guys exchanged a look. One of them sighed, looking back at the two younger boys. “I’m Johnny Seo.”

“As in, the owner of Seo Enterprises?” Hae Chan asked, jaw-slacked and finally interested in what these guys had to say.

“Whoa no way man!” Mark said, hands going up to his face in awe. “You’re like, super rich!”

Johnny nodded, a confident smile on his face from the praise. “Yeah that’s me.”

“You’re like the Tony Stark of real life,” Hae Chan said, still trying to process everything. “You have super cool inventions and stuff.”

The guy in the red hoodie cleared his throat, catching everyone’s attention once more. “Thanks for stealing the spotlight, man. I’m Tae Yong. Nothing special about me.”

Johnny snorted. “What a lie.”

Tae Yong sent Johnny a look, one that had Hae Chan and Mark waiting for an explanation they wouldn’t get. Tae Yong then turned to the boys once again, scanning them up and down before raising an eyebrow. “So you two work together in a team with matching hoodies?”

“Yes,” Mark answered at the same time Hae Chan answered the opposite. The two looked at each other before looking back at the other two.

“We’re part of a team, but we don’t work together and yes, our hoodies match, but only because we’re part of the same team.” Hae Chan answered with a bored look. “I don’t like being associated with him.”

“Oh get over yourself, Hae Chan,” Mark said with a roll of his eyes. “Yes, we work together in the same team with others who have powers like us.”

“So there are more,” Tae Yong mumbled as he looked over at Johnny. “Interesting.”

“Do you two know any more?” Mark asked.

“No. Not as of right now,” Tae Yong answered, and to Hae Chan it was incredibly obvious that that was lie. But before Hae Chan could say anything else, his phone began to ring and he pulled it out of his pocket to see it was Jae Min. He showed Mark who nodded in response before answering.

“Hello-”

“Where are you two?! Chenle started crying after you two disappeared with those other guys. Said something about you two getting kidnapped by aliens and getting your brains sucked out of your heads,” Jae Min began to rant as as soon as Hae Chan answered.

“Okay, first, tell Chenle he’s crazy. Second-” Hae Chan stopped himself, looking up at Tae Yong and Johnny with untrusting eyes. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be there soon.”

“Are you leaving already?” Johnny asked.

“Yes, our friends will worry,” Hae Chan said as he began to turn to Mark, signaling that it was time for the to leave.

“Can we meet you two again?” Mark asked the other two. Hae Chan groaned in annoyance.

“Of course,” Tae Yong interjected before Johnny could speak. “We’ll come to you.”

 

* * *

 

There he was. The love of Yuta’s life. Well, not really, but he liked to refer to him that way. Si Cheng’s reactions were always the cutest when he would flirt with him every chance he got. And the younger never showed much discomfort to his affections or told him to stop, so Yuta assumed it was okay for him to continue.

“Looking good today, love,” Yuta said with his cheek resting on his palm as he watched the younger boy walk over to his seat at the other end of the classroom with a smile on his face.

Si Cheng didn’t say anything. Instead he opened his backpack and began to pull out his utensils, getting ready for class.

“He’s never going to accept your love,” A voice spoke. Yuta heard the chair next to him being pulled out and turned to face his best friend, a frown on his face.

“Shut up, Han Sol, you’ll see. One day Si Cheng will stop acting like I don’t exist and prove you wrong,” Yuta said as he sent the younger boy a wink and clicked his tongue.

Before Han Sol could reply anything else, their professor walked in, beginning what would be another hour of torture. Though, it was true Yuta wanted to continue his education as a law grad student, he didn’t exactly want to do all the work that came with it and attend all the boring lectures. He just wanted to graduate- again- and become a successful family lawyer. Or business worker. It really mostly depended on how his internship at SM Enterprises went. But either way, Yuta was ready to get the heck out of school and begin some rich, successful life. Though, Si Cheng did make attending classes more appealing.

Okay, Yuta wasn’t actually in love with the boy. It was true, the first day Si Cheng walked into class, he thought he was the prettiest creature he had ever laid eyes on. But it wasn’t like he was ready to drop it all for him. Maybe. He _did_ have _some_ feelings for the boy. He wasn’t exactly sure to what extent, but he knew it wasn’t love. He just liked to exaggerate for the sake of his boredom.

Which was why, when class ended, just like any other day, Yuta went up to the younger boy to bother him as he packed up his things.

“So, when are you finally going on a date with me?” Yuta asked, slamming his hands down on Si Cheng’s desk, startling the boy who was trying to stuff his laptop into his backpack. He held that smile on his face, the one with all the teeth, the one he knew made everyone swoon. Except Dong Si Cheng. “You know, I plan on going to the movies tomorrow night, the one on Maine street, seven p.m. if you want to join.”

Han Sol, who stood not far, swinging his backpack over his shoulder, rolled his eyes as he began to walk over.

Si Cheng, on the other hand, seemed to have a moment of thought as he stared up at Yuta. The older boy had to hold his breath feeling flustered all of the sudden, and wanting to say it was joke now that the boy actually seemed to be considering it for the first time ever. If it weren’t for Han Sol who came in, putting an arm around him to make him snap out of it, Yuta was sure he would have melted on the spot.

“Leave the poor guy alo-” Han Sol began as he tried to pull Yuta away, but then it was like a miracle happened.

Si Cheng spoke- no- he agreed. Yuta blinked. Han Sol’s eyes widened. Had he really heard right? Did the boy really agree to a date? When Yuta was only being half-serious?

“What?” Yuta asked in disbelief, barely above a whisper.

“I said okay,” Si Cheng replied, making Yuta feel weak and like falling to his knees.

“O-okay,” Yuta was barely able to let out, still too shocked from Si Cheng finally accepting him. “I-i-” He couldn’t stop stuttering. But then, as if realizing he had lost his cool, he cleared his throat and leaned away from the boy’s desk, regaining posture. “Yeah, cool, uhm, I’ll text you tomorrow.”

Han Sol snorted and Si Cheng smiled. Gosh, he smiled! Yuta was definitely going crazy. But before he could say anything else, like another greasy pick-up line, he was being pulled away by his best friend who was telling him, “Snap out of it, loverboy, we have another class to get to.”

“See you tomorrow, love!” Yuta was able to shout out one last time before he was completely dragged out of the room by Han Sol.

As soon as the two were out, Yuta completely lost it, turning to Han Sol with the widest smile he had ever worn. “Did you see what just happened?! He said yes! We have a date!”

Han Sol snorted, shaking his head at the blond. “I must be crazy, because yes, I did see that. Also, I thought you said you didn’t even like him that much,” Han Sol said, raising a questioning eyebrow.

Yuta cleared his throat and nodded. “Yeah, totally. I just haven’t been on a date in so lo-”

“Stop it,” Han Sol said with another roll of his eyes. “You don’t have to act all cool. Just admit you’re whipped.”

“Okay, so what if I am a little?” Yuta asked, a soft smile on his lips as he bumped shoulders with his best friend. “He’s cute.”

Han Sol nodded with a hum. “Just be careful, Nakamoto. Don’t break the poor guy’s heart.”

Yuta snorted. “If anyone were to break a heart, it would be him breaking mine.”

 

* * *

 

“Ah, look who’s back from playing normal, young, human!”

Si Cheng rolled his eyes, taking off his backpack and setting it down in the entrance hall before walking into the living room. “Shut up, Ten. At least I’m doing something.”

“Yes, a college degree comes in really useful back where we are from,” Ten said sarcastically as he began to flip through the channels on the television, ultimately ending up turning it off, more interested in the tales of his dear friend than whatever he had been watching all day. “So, tell me, Winwin, how was your day?”

Si Cheng sighed, sitting down on the raggedy, old couch that laid in the middle of their dark, dimly lit living room. He thought back to the previous events of the day before he sighed once more and shook his head. “Where are the kids?” He asked as he looked up at the older who looked at him suspiciously.

Ten continued to look at him suspiciously, knowing he was hiding something, but answering his question nonetheless. “Kun took them grocery shopping. He thought I was going to blow up on them if they didn’t stop bothering me or something.”

Si Cheng snorted. “Of course you would.”

“Okay,” Ten said, rolling his eyes. “Drop it, Winwin, what did you see today?”

Si Cheng knew he couldn’t hide it from the boy. Not for long, at least. Especially with how big of the situation was turning out to be. “I have a date tomorrow,” He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

Ten frowned, his dark eyes narrowing before he cocked an eyebrow. “Really? That’s it? Seriously? Oh come on, who is it? Is it that Japanese guy? The really flirty one? Because you could honestly do so much better-”

“No,” Si Cheng interrupted, shaking his head in frustration. His dark hair fell over his eyes as he looked down at his hands, and one again, but softer, said, “No. That’s not it. I wasn’t going to say yes, but then. . .”

Si Cheng trailed off, and Ten sat up, leaning forward as he tried to understand the guy better. “Oh,” Ten said, realizing what happened. “You had another vision. What was it? Did you end up marrying the guy? Is he a serial killer?”

“No,” Si Cheng said, shaking his head slightly. “It wasn’t a long vision; It was only a glimpse. But it was so intense. . .” He trailed off once again. He looked back at Ten, and the older boy was so sure his eyes were glassy, but he couldn’t question it for the looked away once more. And Ten stopped trying to joke around. It was serious.

“Tonight he’s going to suffer,” Si Cheng spoke softly. “And tomorrow too. And the day after, and the day after, and the day after, and so on. I couldn’t see much, like I said. An explosion, tears, and nothing. But I felt it so vividly. His pain. Grief. Chaos.”

“Winwin. . .” Ten spoke, reaching a hand out to the other boy. “You know it’s not your fault when you have these visions.”

“But I feel so helpless,” Si Cheng retorted quick as he turned to face the other once more. “I could feel his feelings for me. They were genuine, and all I did was use him.”

“You didn’t use him,” Ten said, trying his best to comfort and reassure with him.

“But didn’t I? The whole enrolling into the university thing was so I could get to study him as an intern of SM- as the son of one of the workers on the foreign affairs board. I used the boy who genuinely liked me and now I know he’s going to suffer, but I don’t even know where or how to help him and-” Si Cheng was ranting and Ten had to place a hand on his shoulder to get him to stop.

“Winwin, what you did was not that. You enrolled into the university because it is a branch of SM. You talked to Yuta because he was pushy with you, and you didn’t know about his internship or father until after that. You also never led him on or played with his feelings. And no, you can’t control what happens. You only get to know about it, but it isn’t your fault. Please, don’t blame yourself and calm down.” It wasn’t often that Ten was able to give such serious and inspirational speeches, but when he did, Winwin had to admit he was pretty good at it.

“You’re right,” Si Cheng said as he looked down at his hands. “I can’t stop it. I can’t stop his fate. But I can help him.”

 

* * *

 

Jae Hyun’s eyes snapped open. He scanned. He processed. Where was he? His breathing grew heavy as flashbacks of what happened before he got knocked out flashed through his head and he fell down to his knees, head thumping against the glass tube he was contained in.

“He’s up!” He heard a voice call out, and his breath hitched. He looked up to see someone standing not far from the glass tube he was trapped in, typing something into some weird holographic-looking screen. Suddenly his tube opened and he fell out, landing on the carpet floor with a groan as he clutched his chest.

A young man in casual wear approached him and extended out a hand to him. Jae Hyun coughed, hand still on his chest, before looking up at the person that stood in front of him. The man appeared to be in his early twenties; he had a red hoodie on with ripped jeans, and house slippers. His facial features were sharp, he looked like he jumped straight out of a comic book. Jae Hyun locked eyes with the man; he could tell his intentions were pure, so he accepted his hand.

Jae Hyun struggled to regain focus and balance, but managed to stop the dizziness that had overtaken him. Jae Hyun let go of the other’s hand.

“Let’s talk at the table.” Was all the other said and walked to a coffee table laid in the middle of the large, open room.

The man that was at the desk in front of the tube Jae Hyun was in got up from his swivel chair and walked towards the table Jae Hyun and the other were at. The man that was walking towards them gave off a mature vibe that was overwhelming; it sort of came of as cold and unearthly.

The man took a seat on the dark blue couch and crossed his legs, calmly placing his clasped hands on his knee.

“Do you know me?” The white-collar man asked, his tone coming off as cold.

Jae Hyun hesitantly shook his head, having no clue who this strange man was, or who his companion with the dark, wavy hair and glasses was He had just woken up in a strange place, inside a tube after getting his butt kicked, after all.

The man in the white-collar slid a card on the table- not just any card- his business card. Jae Hyun picked up the card he slid and read it. He froze in place. He looked at the card, then to the man in front of him that seemed unfazed, then back to the card.

“No way,” Jae Hyun mouthed. He looked around the room for the first time, having no time to do so earlier. The room was painted purely white, tubes stood on one side of the room, strange contraptions on the other, and the living room. The room wasn’t heavily decorated but the items it did contain were fascinating.

Jae Hyun turned back to the man that sat in front of him. “Why?” Is all he could say.

“Why? I’ve been keeping an eye on you and I’ve decided to put my plan in motion.” Johnny responded.

“As in?” Jae Hyun asked, wanting the man to continue what he was saying.

“I’m starting a team with people that contain enhanced abilities- superpowers.” Johnny simply said.

“Superheroes?” Jae Hyun asked curiously.

“...Yes, our goal is to take down the villain, ‘New Heros’. The actual main villain’s name is yet to be found, but if we join together we will be assured victory.” Johnny said, using words Jae Hyun would understand (Heroes, Villains).

“Why? Aren’t they just a hero association?” Jae Hyun questioned, remembering the card that shady guy had once given him.

“That’s just a cover. They’re not heros, that’s what they want you to believe. They’re playing with dangers that can threaten the whole world which is why my friend here, Tae Yong,” The said boy made a small wave to Jae Hyun which he returned, “And I are going to form a team of ‘Superheroes’ to stop ‘New Heros’ and whatever plans they may hold. Maybe joining will help you stop losing to ‘Doctor Death’, so what will it be?” Johnny asked as if he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

Jae Hyun could feel-no- he knew they were hiding something from him, but decided to not risk his  life and not push the limit. He also decided to not bring up the card he had received before, unsure on whether he could trust them or not.

“But, why? Why haven’t you used your powers for good? Just look at this room! It’s filled with equipment that could give support to the defenseless!” Jae Hyun exclaimed; he hadn’t noticed he stood up from the couch.

Jae Hyun held a sheepish expression on his face and sat back down after clearing his throat.

Johnny still seemed unfazed. ”Is that a no?” He asked sternly, not breaking eye-contact with Jae Hyun.

“Well, no, not exactly. But, you didn’t answer my question,” Jae Hyun responded, he was feeling a bit more bold for some reason.

“Why are kids so hard to deal with,” Johnny muttered under his breath. Jae Hyun clearly heard what Johnny said, but decided to brush it off. “These devices are not toys and certainly aren’t cheap and I told you we needed a team to-” Johnny was cut off by Jae Hyun.

“Any effort to help the people would have been enough.” Jae Hyun valiantly said.

Johnny remained silent; “That stimulation of yours can take you places.That is why you fight so brightly on the battlefield, it’s the flame inside of you, not your abilities.” Johnny responded and for a moment it seemed like he was being sincere, but that was quickly engulfed by the coldness that surrounded him.

Jae Hyun felt the sincerity in the message and softened. “Mr. Seo, I want to join,” Jae Hyun accepted, and there it was, the flame Johnny had spoken of that only appeared when he was determined.

“Please, call me Johnny,” The man insisted. Jae Hyun smiled fondly and shook hands with Johnny.

“Now, let’s get you suited up!” The man beside Johnny, Taeyong, said in a positive manner.

 

* * *

 

“Are you sure we’re allowed to be here,” Yuta asked, following Han Sol to the fence that separated the building where they interned at and the old, broken down factory that stood by Han river.

“Of course we’re not,” Han Sol said, as he began to climb the fence. “But I want to see what’s over there, and why it’s all boarded up.”

Yuta looked at the wired fence, hesitant on whether to follow his best friend or not. “There’s nothing over there, Han Sol, that’s why it’s all boarded up. It’s just an old factory with safety hazards.”

Han Sol shook his head, sitting at the top of the fence, extending a hand out to Yuta. “I’m telling you, I saw some flashing lights coming from there one day when I stayed here working late and I want to know what it was. Are you coming with, or not?”

Yuta looked at Han Sol’s hand, thoughts running through his head. If he did go what was the worst that could happen? The building would collapse on them and they would die? Or they would get caught and fired from their internship? Yuta shook his head, taking a few steps back. Han Sol looked genuinely confused for a moment, before Yuta began to run and jumped on the face, climbing up easily without the need of the older boy.

“Right, I forgot how athletic you were,” Han Sol said with a smile.

The two boys climbed down the fence, turning around to face the old, rundown factory that was moments from collapsing. Han Sol let out a whistle, making his way over with a very hesitant Yuta following behind. “It looks so much bigger this close-up.”

Yuta let out a huff, stopping in his steps as he began to question the entire situation once again. “Are you sure this is okay?”

“Of course it is, don’t you trust me?” Han Sol asked, not even glancing back at the boy as he began to go up the steps that led to the building.

“No,” Yuta mumbled to himself, but followed along anyways. “Remember that time when we were sixteen and-”

The two boys froze, hearing something resembling gunshots.

“D-did you hear-”

“Yes,” Han Sol breathed. “It came from in there.”

Yuta felt his chest tighten, his palms begin to sweat, and his mouth goes dry. He couldn’t move or speak. “I-I don’t thin-”

Yuta gasped, falling down to the ground with Han Sol doing the same as there were sudden flashes coming from the top windows of the factory.

“What is going on inside?” Han Sol gasped, regaining consciousness faster than Yuta, and quickly standing back up, running to the building.

Before Yuta could process any further, his best friend was already climbing up the ledges and pipes, ending up on the second floor, standing on the ledge of one of the windows as he looked inside. He gasped at whatever it was that he saw, and Yuta wanted to join him in curiosity, but he was still too shocked to move. “H-Han Sol- What is it?” Yuta asked in worry, finally finding it in his body to get up. “Come down, quick, it’s not sa-”

“Yuta,” Han Sol breathed, turning to look at the boy with wide eyes. Yuta almost gasped seeing his friend’s face. He was fear-stricken. Completely terrified as if he had just seen the demon’s from ‘Bird Box’.

“What?” Yuta asked, feeling his hands shake in anxiety as he began walking over to the building. But he was never able to reach it. He was never able to see what had Han Sol so petrified. And Han Sol was never able to tell him.

What happened next happened so fast, Yuta would never be able to understand. One moment, Han Sol was standing by the window on the second floor, a horrified look on his face while he stood on the ground. The next there were loud bangs and booms and the window’s broke and there was flying glass everywhere and there were flashing lights and then an explosion and Han Sol was- He was-

And Yuta flew back.

Everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter introduced some of my favorite members and some very important key characters. I kind of hope it all made sense, and if it didn't it will all be further explained in the next chapter. Or not. Either way, the next chapter is one of my favorites that revolves around my favorite characters who might just be the most important characters.  
> Anyways I love Winwin so much and I hate SM.  
> -J
> 
> [Random vine] ~Nae
> 
> Also Nae and I had completely different visions on how we saw Taeyong. Nae saw him with pink hair and I saw him with black. Then, right before this chapter, we saw a picture of his with his silver hair and boom.


	5. Forget Me Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Incoming, the yellow people are approaching, over.” Lucas’ voice came in through the earpieces they were wearing, forcing the two to stop mid-track and retreat a couple of steps.
> 
> “They’re called hazmat suits, Lucas,” Hendery’s voice came in through the earpiece as well.
> 
> “Don’t worry, I’ll shoot the yellow people. Over.” This time it was Yang Yang’s voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm updating because I don't want to do my assignment for my creative writing class and receive a bunch of criticism from my classmates. -J

Si Cheng’s eyes snapped wide open. It was dark. His room. “It was a dream,” he whispered to himself. But he knew it wasn’t.

With a sudden gasp, the boy shot up, pulling the covers off of his body and jumping out of bed, not even processing what he was doing. All he knew was someone needed him.

“Winwin?” Ten’s voice came when the boy walked into the living room with a panicked look.

Si Cheng turned to look at the older boy, noticing the presence of the those who had been watching the television, and those who were emerging out of their own rooms, probably awakened by his loud shuffling around his room. Everyone was then looking at him concerned.

“We need to go help him,” Si Cheng said, not bothering to explain anything to anyone. He didn’t want to waste any time, and everyone could see the desperateness in his eyes, and hear the pleading in his voice. Even those weren’t fully awake.

“I’ll drive,” Ten nodded, understanding Winwin better than anyone else in the room. Without any more words, he got up, grabbed the keys, and they all walked out. No questions asked.

 

It wasn’t until they were halfway there, that it happened. As vivid as Si Cheng’s dream, there was the loud explosion coming from an almost empty party of town, down at the other side of the bridge.

“Is he there?” Ten asked, eyes trained on the lights that shone over the building they were headed to. It looked like a nuclear explosion, but smaller. Like something wrong happening at a power plant.

“Wait, Ten, isn’t that where the crystal is?” One of the boys spoke from the backseat, suddenly becoming more awake.

“Yes,” Ten said. “Good sight, Yang Yang.”

“I don’t know how I feel about this,” The boy who sat by Yang Yang, at the far back of the van, spoke out anxiously.

“Shut up Xiao Jun,” The boy who sat on the other side of Yang Yang spoke.

“Kun, Hendery is being mean!” Xiao Jun shouted to the older who sat in front of him.

Kun, growing tired of the boy’s yelling, brought his hand up, ready to snap his fingers before all three boys in the back shook their heads and kept quiet. “That’s what I thought,” Kun said, resting back on his seat with his eyes closed once again. “Don’t worry Winwin, we’ll get to him.”

“I hope we do,” Si Cheng who sat in the passenger seat in front of Kun mumbled as he stared out the window. His eyes never moving away from the place of explosion, until they reached it.

As soon as the van stopped by the river, without having to be told what to do, all the boys jumped out of the car and got into positions. Yang Yang was taking off his backpack and setting it on the ground before digging in and pulling out a series of objects that he handed to Xiao Jun here and there.

“Where’s the invisibility cloak?” Hendery asked, walking over to Yang Yang’s side.

“I’m looking for it,” The boy said as he kept rummaging through his things.

“Well look faster.” Hendery rushed the boy.

“I’m trying!” The younger boy whined. “I forgot to organi- oh! Here!”

Without any more words, Hendery took the invisibility cloak and began putting it around the car before following Xiao Jun to whatever corner he was hiding in with his multiple gadgets. Yang Yang, on the other hand, swung his backpack over his shoulder and rushed to where Lucas, Kun, Winwin and Ten stood, working on their strategies.

“Xiao Jun and Hendery are in position,” Yang Yang told the older boys, looking back and forth between Winwin’s looks of worry, Kun’s concentrated face, and Ten’s scheming face.

“Okay, give me the invisibility potion,” Ten said, extending his hand out.

Yang Yang reached into the pocket of his pajama pants (he had no time to change when he was awoken earlier), pulling out a glass bottle that contained a blue liquid inside, and handing it over. “This one doesn’t last long though, so you have to be quick. Ten minutes tops.”

“You’re sounding like Xiao Jun with his shady products,” Ten said right before he took a sip and handed it over to Winwin who did the same.

“Who do you think I got it from?” Yang Yang asked, enjoying the look of panic in Ten’s eyes right before he disappeared.

“Let’s go, Winwin,” Ten’s voice could be heard, but he could no longer be seen.

“What now?” Yang Yang asked, turning to look at Kun and then at Lucas.

Kun was watching the footsteps in the mud that were left behind by Ten and Winwin as they headed to the back of the building where Winwin was so sure he had seen Yuta in his vision. He let out a huff, turning around, a stern look on his eyes. “Let’s get a view of the area. They’re going to need our help.”

 

* * *

 

“How do you know this place so well?” Winwin asked Ten as they made their way through all the bushes and walked past the fence that enclosed the old factory.

“I’ve tried sneaking in before,” Ten said and, though Winwin could barely see the outline of his figure in the moonlight, he was sure he was frowning. “For the crystal.”

“Why did you leave it here?” Winwin asked as they made a turn.

Ten scanned the area, feeling the presence of people around them. Most of everyone had already evacuated the area before the explosion, but it wasn’t long before those people in the yellow hazmat suits would start arriving. If they weren’t already there. This was a very restricted area with very dangerous things inside after all, despite being branded as on old and empty, run down factory. Ten knew that the best.

“There was no point in taking a crystal that was weak of its powers,” Ten said, glancing back at Winwin before he moved along and the younger boy followed. “But seeing how it was able to make this big of an explosion, I was wrong to leave it behind. Now it’s going to be even harder for me to retrieve all those powers that were set free when the humans started poking around with it."

“We’ll get them,” Winwin spoke, placing a hand on Ten’s shoulder. The older guy looked back at him, and he nodded in reassurance. “Then we can go home.”

“But first we need to get your loverboy out of here,” Ten said, turning back once more to remain focused on the task.

“Incoming, the yellow people are approaching, over.” Lucas’ voice came in through the earpieces they were wearing, forcing the two to stop mid-track and retreat a couple of steps.

“They’re called hazmat suits, Lucas,” Hendery’s voice came in through the earpiece as well.

“Don’t worry, I’ll shoot the yellow people. Over.” This time it was Yang Yang’s voice.

Before Winwin or Ten could tell the boy not to shoot, they heard the shots coming from the other side of the building and what they assumed were the thuds of the bodies dropping to the ground.

“Nice shot, Yang Yang!” Xiao Jun’s voice came in at the same time Hendery yelled, “Yang Yang!!”

Winwin and Ten exchanged a look, holding back smiles, before they continued walking ahead in caution.

“Kun, have you scanned the perimeter yet?” Ten asked, holding on to his earpiece as he looked through the window to see what went on inside the building.

Kun’s voice came in seconds later, a series of muffled noises heard in the background. “Yes, from what I can see they were trying to mess around with the crystal and conducting a series of experiments that went wrong, so everyone evacuated right before it exploded. If you keep walking right ahead is where you’ll find loverboy by the river, but let me warn you, he was so close to the explosion that he won’t be in best condition. There’s also someone else next to the backdoors of the building who will be in even worse condition than him. Might not be alive. Over.”

Winwin and Ten nodded, beginning to run ahead to the back where Yuta would be by the river. And just like Kun had said, he was right there, lying unconsciously on the ground, wet from the waves that kept splashing on him, and- he looked awful. Not as bad as Winwin had feared, but he small cuts all over his face, he was covered in dirt, and he was bleeding out from where a shard had dug into his stomach.

“Oh no,” Winwin said as he hurried over to Yuta’s side, falling to his knees right besides him. “He’s badly hurt.”

Ten, still standing a few feet away as he scanned the area, looked over at Si Cheng, a soft look on his face. “Can’t you...?”

“I can try,” Si Cheng said, making a small nod as he brought his hands up above Yuta’s body. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. It wasn’t often that he had used this power, or any of his powers to be exact. It was no secret to those in the team that he had the second most powerful powers amongst them, being able to control so much yet nothing all. But he feared them. He wasn’t like Ten, or Kun, or Lucas, or even the younger three who still possessed no powers but the kind they got when they were infants. He was scared of having so much control, thus never using his powers unless really needed to, making them rusty and making him unsure on whether he could make things better or worse for Yuta.

But he needed him.

Letting out a shaky breath, Winwin clenched his hands, and released them. Immediately there was a small, faint glow that began coming from his hands as he brought them around Yuta’s body, and slowly, the recovery process for the boy became fast. His cells were multiplying and the wound was disappearing. But so were Winwin and Ten’s invisibility powers.

“There’s sirens,” Ten said, looking up and around as he heard the wailing of police cars and ambulances and firetrucks. “They’re coming.”

“You guys need to get out,” Kun’s voice came in through the earpieces again. “There’s a lot of guys in hazmat suits coming in. Over.”

“Guys, Xiao Jun and I are trying our best to shoot the guys and Yang Yang and Lucas are on the other side doing the same, but there’s too many people coming in and we can’t be discrete. Over.” That time it was Hendery.

Ten rushed over to Si Cheng’s side, replying a quick, “Got it, over.” Before he started pulling the glass battle out of his pocket and taking another sip. “Here,” He said, handing the bottle to Winwin. “We need to go.”

Si Cheng looked down at the bottle, and then down at his hands. “I need more time. He’s not fully healed. If we move him now it will only hurt him more.”

Ten groaned, setting the bottle down and running over to the building. Si Cheng glanced over and watched as Ten began to bring his hands up, moving them in a series of different motions before he pushed forward and his powers came to release. He was manipulating the area around them so all three of them would remain hidden. It was the first time he was using his powers do greatly in years.

Realizing what he was doing, Si Cheng turned back to Yuta and shut his eyes tight, trying to quicken his powers so they could all get out of there. “Come on, come on,” He chanted, using as much strength as he could to push it all out of him. “Please.”

_Whoosh_.

Si Cheng opened his eyes, looking down at his hands and then at Yuta. The wound was gone. Of course, he still had the small scratches on his face and was probably in a lot of physical pain, but his big wound was gone and he was no longer bleeding out. Without wasting any time, he looked over at Ten who was still trying to manipulate everything around them.

“Let's go!” Si Cheng yelled, taking the glass bottle and taking a sip before he poured a few drops in Yuta's mouth.

“Good job healing him,” Ten said as he ran over to his side and scanned the body. “Now let's get out of here.”

Ten and Si Cheng quickly pulled up the body, both swinging one of Yuta's arms around themselves to drag him along. They began walking ahead, making sure to be as quiet as possible as the place began to get filled with people that came to investigate the explosion.

“Wait,” Si Cheng gasped, eyes landing closer to the building where another body laid, looking even worse than Yuta had.

“We don't have time to save anyone el-” Ten began, turning around to look at the body that Si Cheng stared at.

“That's Han Sol,” Si Cheng breathed. He didn't know what to do. He was terrified. In his vision he had only seen Yuta and he assumed he was alone when they found him. But there was his best friend, whom Si Cheng was aware was one of the only important people in his life. “We can't leave him behind. He'll either die from wounds or they'll kill him for witnessing this."

Ten opened his mouth to respond, when he heard the voices of people approaching. “We’ll come back,” He whispered, pulling Yuta and Si Cheng back just in time as more people in hazmat suits showed up. “The invisibility potion won't last for much longer.”

“Guys, we need to get out now,” Kun's voice came in through the earpieces once again. “More and more vans keep arriving and the kids are struggling to get out without being seen. Over.”

Ten glanced at Si Cheng, sending a pitiful look before he began walking ahead. Letting out a sigh, Si Cheng sent one last glance to Han Sol's body that was being investigated by the men in hazmat suits.

_I'm sorry._

 

* * *

 

“You got him!” Yang Yang exclaimed, leaning away from the invisible van and pulling the invisibility cloak down so Ten and Si Cheng could drag Yuta's body inside.

The door to the van swung open, Xiao Jun standing right there behind it. “Hurry up,” He said as he moved out of the way. “Kun is driving.”

“Oh come on!” Ten yelled as he helped take Yuta in before running out to head to the passenger seat. Yang Yang then climbed in, swinging the door closed before he headed to the back to his seat. Si Cheng was on the van's floor, Yuta's head resting on his lap.

“Is he okay?” Lucas asked, looking down from his seat.

Si Cheng nodded, softly. “He will be.”

The rest of the car ride went smoothly. Kun’s driving was much gentler than Ten's and they were no longer in a hurry to get anywhere. It was also three in the morning and the streets were pretty empty. The boys in the back were all falling asleep, heads resting on each other's shoulders. And Ten was left humming softly to a song he made up back home, “New Heroes~”

It wasn't until they were almost home that Yuta began stirring in Si Cheng's lap, startling the dark-haired boy.

“Si Cheng?” Yuta asked, looking up at him with cloudy eyes. It was a dazed look, as if he couldn't believe he was actually there in front of him. “W-what-?”

Si Cheng shushed the boy, shaking his head softly. “Shh. Just wait.”

“We're here,” Kun said, stopping the car in front of the old building they found shelter in.

Ten and Kun hopped out of the car, opening the van doors so everyone could get out. Si Cheng had to help Yuta, because though he was somewhat conscious now, he was in major pain and releasing a series of groans.

“Where-?” Yuta tried talking once again, stopping himself to groan in pain.

“I said shhh,” Si Cheng shushed him once again as he led him inside and to the floor they lived in. “You’re in too much pain.”

When the two walked into their home, slower than the rest because of Yuta’s state, Yang Yang and Hendery were setting up some space on the couch for Yuta to rest on while Xiao Jun was sorting through some of his shady objects on the floor in the middle of the living room.

“What are we going to do with him?” Winwin could hear Kun ask Ten in the kitchen, but ignored it as he helped Yuta sit on the couch.

“Can I watch tv or is now not the time?” Lucas asked as he sat down on the other couch, tv remote in his hand. Hearing that, Kun walked in and snatched the control out of his hand and hit him with it. “Of course not.”

“Han Sol,” Yuta breathed. Si Cheng turned to look at him. He was remembering the events. “He-” Yuta panted, hands shaking as he shut his eyes tight. “Where-? He- I-”

“Shh,” Si Cheng tried calming him, taking his hand into his own to soothe him. “Calm down. Yuta. Shh.”

Si Cheng closed his eyes, holding Yuta’s hand tight as the light from his palms began to glow again. “Calm down, shh, calm down.”

Yuta took a breath, and his eyes opened once again. He was no longer panicking and seemed much calmer than before. Si Cheng’s powers were perhaps not as rusty as he thought they were.

“He’s so cool when he does that,” Yang Yang said from his spot on the floor besides Xiao Jun and Hendery.

“Okay, Yuta,” Si Cheng said as he looked into the older guy’s eyes, a slight shine in his own. “I need you to tell me everything that happened, calmly.”

Yuta nodded, enchanted by the dark-haired boy’s voice. He looked down as if gathering his thoughts, before he looked up and nodded once again. “I was with Han Sol. We were working late for our internship and- we had a small break so- I-” Yuta shook his head, trying to remember. “Han Sol wanted to investigate the old factory. He said he had seen something there and we went out and climbed the fence over. But then- gunshots? Thunder? There was a noise, and I wanted to leave, but I fell and I couldn’t move. And Han Sol was climbing up to the windows on the second floor and then-” Yuta paused once more. Si Cheng could tell he was about to freak out, but he held his hand tighter, calming him down with his powers. “He saw something. And then there was an explosion.”

“Do you know what he saw?” Ten asked, arms crossed as he walked over to the couch. Yuta looked up at him and shook his head.

“No. But he was terrified. I’ve never seen him like that before,” Yuta said, shaking his head. He then groaned once again, letting go of Si Cheng’s hand and clutching his chest.

“AHHH!” He groaned loudly, starting to squirm around in the couch as if trying to find a way to ease the pain.

Si Cheng stood up, looking at him with a horrified look on his face. “What’s going on?” He asked in panic. “I healed his wound, why is he hurting like this?!” He slightly yelled, turning to look at everyone who looked just as shocked as him.

“It’s the crystal,” Kun said, setting down his mug and walking over. “The crystal must have affected him somehow. Humans are weak and can’t be that close to a crystal’s explosion without having some sort of after effects.”

“What do we do?” Si Cheng asked, watching as Yuta rolled on to the floor, not stopping his loud groans of pain. “He’s going to die!”

Kun turned to Xiao Jun, scanning all of the shady objects he had sprawled across the floor. “Quick, put that in a syringe and hand it to me!” He yelled at the boy while pointing at one of the bottles with a weird, green liquid inside.

“But that-!”

“Quick!”

Without having to be told again, Xiao Jun hurried in opening the bottle and inserted the needle part of the syringe (Yang Yang had pulled out of his back), pulled the plunger to draw the liquid into the syringe, and gently tapped its side to make sure there were no air bubbles after making sure to get rid of any excess air, and without another second lost, he handed it over to Kun.

“This is going to hurt,” Kun mumbled as he crouched down on the floor besides Yuta, and without any warning, he stuck the needle into his arm, right on a vein.

“Oh my gosh,” Lucas said, covering his mouth and turning around in his seat. “I’m going to be sick.”

“What is that?!” Si Cheng yelled, seeing how Yuta was only getting worse from there. But before Kun could answer, Yuta suddenly stopped, his breathing slowing down as his eyes shut close.

“It’s something we learned back home. It’s like a tranquilizer here,” Kun began to explain. He stood up and handed the syringe over to Si Cheng. The younger boy took it, inspecting it close before he sighed and nodded.

“I remember,” He said, handing it over to Ten who looked at it closely too.

“I don’t remember,” Ten said with a frown. “I’ve been gone too long.”

“It pauses your anxiety. Or, back home, it pauses your powers,” Si Cheng explained, a tired look on his face from the realization. “When those who get their powers from the crystal can’t control them right away and are suddenly overpowered, this is used on them.”

Ten’s eyes widened slightly. He looked down at Yuta, a look of realization crossing his face. He gasped and turned to look back at Si Cheng and Kun. “Does that mean, well, he-”

“He has powers now,” Si Cheng sighed. “We can’t keep him here.”

“But if he has powers can’t we just make him one of us?” Xiao Jun asked from behind.

“He’s not one of us.” Si Cheng shook his head. “He may have powers like us, but he’s a human. Something we are not.”

“So what do we do with him?” Hendery asked, eyes focused on Yuta.

Si Cheng turned to look at Ten, and the latter nodded, understanding what he had to do. He knelt down besides Yuta, bringing his hands up to his forehead, and began to use his powers. His palms glowed as he began to erase the events of that night from his mind, and began to manipulate. He manipulated so he thought he and Han Sol got into a car accident by Han river. He manipulated so he thought Han Sol had gone missing in the river. He manipulated so he-

“Erase me from his mind. Every last trace of me.” Ten stopped, turning to look at Si Cheng with a taken-back look. Everyone in the room reacted the same.

“Winwin, are you sure?” Si Cheng nodded. He had made up his mind the moment Yuta’s eyes opened in the car and he looked up at him, an almost enduring look on his face.

“He saw me tonight,” Si Cheng started. “And he saw me yesterday, and the day before, and the day before. And if we’re ever going to get out of this planet, we can’t have any connections with humans.”

All the boys in the room exchanged looks, knowing glances.

“Plus, now that he has powers, when he discovers them, he’ll try figuring out where they came from.” Si Cheng sighed. He was exhausted. “He would ask us about our powers and how he got his and what we know and who we are and where we come from and we can’t have that. It’s best if he doesn’t remember me at all.”

Ten nodded, not saying anything else as he brought his hands up to Yuta’s forehead once more. He listened to Si Cheng’s orders, and began to draw out all memories Yuta had of him. The moment he asked him out the previous day, the moment Si Cheng agreed; The entire class period a week earlier he had spent staring at him; The day he purposely waited an entire hour at the convenience store across from their university because he knew Si Cheng stopped by there every morning; The week they were partnered up for an assignment and stayed in the library till late hours, getting almost nothing done because Yuta wouldn’t stop staring and getting flustered when Si Cheng looked back; The time Si Cheng first rejected Yuta’s asking him out, and he decided he wanted to keep doing it until he said yes; And lastly, the day when Si Cheng first walked into class a year ago and Yuta, all flustered by his beautiful looks, blurted out the cheesiest pick-up line ever, and Si Cheng got all flustered making Yuta decide he would keep flirting with him for his cute reactions without realizing he would actually come to like him.

Ten gasped, pulling his hand away after withdrawing every last memory of Si Cheng from Yuta’s mind. He turned to look at the tall boy, asking him one last time if he was sure. And he nodded. “Besides,” Si Cheng said, looking down at Yuta, “if he’s a human with powers. . . we’ll have to go up against him one day.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Nae and I just have Winwin's line from Chain playing on a loop to feel blessed. Because we love him. And I currently miss him. A lot. And I'm upset. Anyways, I really love writing Ten's character (super biased), and Yuta (also super biased) and Winwin (justice for Sicheng). And WayV's characters. So there's a lot of them in this chapter. Or, only them. But I think it was necessary. Anyways, I hope this chapter made sense and that it was enjoyable. -J


	6. Of Heartache and Grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was close to seven, and for some reason that made him anxious. As if he was late for something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of an angst chapter? I had sad music on and it went from there :/ -J
> 
> Completely giving up Starring  
> Me  
> Me  
> Me  
> and introducing  
> Me  
> ~Nae

“This is pretty embarrassing.” Jae Hyun said as he watched the footage of him going up against Doctor Death.

“Especially when you think about the whole nation watching it.” Tae Yong nodded in agreement, sitting by Jae Hyun on the couch.

“I got saved by these kids?” The younger asked as his eyes trained on the boys who began to fight Doctor Death after he was unconscious. “Who are they? There are more superheros out there? People with superpowers as cool as those?”

Jae Hyun watched as one of the boys swung around with what he assumed were super webs, and the other used a bow and arrows to shoot at Doctor Death while teleporting in and out through the air. “They have such amazing powers. . .”

“Yes, but even then, they were pretty weak against him,” Tae Yong spoke, just as the two boys began to turn on each other. “They’re so young and that one is so hot-headed, they lost control of their powers easily.”

Jae Hyun gasped, watching as the two boys began to fall to their doom, right before Johnny and Tae Yong came in, swooping the two kids up right before they hit the ground. It was so cool how they just flew in out of nowhere and were able to save them. He was in awe.

“We definitely weren’t planning on coming in,” Johnny said, walking into the room with what Jae Hyun could only assume was his super suit. “But those kids were dumb. They have such great powers like teleportation and heightened senses  and heightened eye sight with super webs sharp aim,  but it's such a waste if they can’t work together well, causing them to lose control.”

“What kind of powers do you two have?” Jae Hyun asked as he looked up at the two.

“Tae Yong’s powers are-” Johnny paused as he looked over at the guy. “Unknown. He doesn’t really know the limits to his powers.”

Jae Hyun frowned, wanting to question his words, but Johnny continued talking before he could. “And I have super intellect. I’ve always been smart, though, but with the powers it just became heightened and, well, I have omni fabrication, which means I’m very good at building stuff.”

“It’s much cooler when you see it in action,” Tae Yong said, looking over at Jae Hyun. “He built his suit.”

Jae Hyun nodded, impressed as he looked back at the screen where he could see Johnny in his suit, looking much cooler than the hoodie he wore, or the hoodies the other kids wore. “You two look cool there,” He said as he remained focused on the screen. He opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could a frown appeared on his face as he heard Doctor Death’s last words before he disappeared.

“Did he really say that?” Jae Hyun asked in disbelief as he turned to look at Johnny and Tae Yong. “That he would worry about me?”

“Don’t feel flattered,” Tae Yong said, shaking his head. “Doctor Death isn’t the true villain here. He’s only someone with powers that enjoys using them for his own entertainment. Messed up? Sure. But he’s not truly evil. That’s one of the only reasons we never stepped in to help you. We knew he would never go as far to actually hurt people.”

Jae Hyun looked down, feeling himself tense up at Tae Yong’s words. He was irritated. He understood what he was saying, but he still felt annoyed that someone actually could have gotten hurt while they sat and watched. “So what do we do about Doctor Death, then?”

Tae Yong looked over at Johnny who still stood there holding Jae Hyun’s suit. “First, try this on.”

Jae Hyun looked up. Johnny was unfolding the suit, revealing the blue suit with the white touches and the big, silver J in the center. It was amazing. It was him. But he frowned, noticing the Korean flag behind the J.

“Why?” He asked, looking at Johnny and then Tae Yong.

“For now, we need you to be the protector of the people of South Korea. The nation loves you. They respect you. And they need someone they can look up to as their defender, and trust me, no one fits the role more than you with your valiant heart,” Tae Yong explained as he leaned back on the couch. He signaled his head in the direction of the suit. “Go ahead. Try it on.”

And Jae Hyun tried it on. It was kind of tight, but it was breathable. Like yoga pants. He felt like he could move, testing it out by stretching his arms and legs. He nodded, looking at himself in the mirror. He liked it. It made him feel like he could do so much.

“It’s a good look on you,” Johnny said as he walked into the room.

Jae Hyun nodded slowly as he kept scanning himself up and down. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat and turned around, seeing Tae Yong standing at the doorway and Johnny sitting on a chair. “So what now?”

“Well, for now,” Johnny said, crossing a leg over the other, “Captain J and Doctor Death must keep fighting. As an image, you need to be known as the hero for the people to completely trust you. And as that continues, we believe ‘New Heroes’ will come out. Then we strike as a team.”

Jae Hyun nodded, understanding only half of what Johnny was saying, but not wanting to ask any more questions. “Okay. Then let’s do this.”

 

* * *

 

Yuta woke up with a massive headache in a dark room, not able to remember anything that happened the night before. Had he drank after his internship with Han Sol? Did his friend help him home? How did he get to bed? Was he even in bed?”

The lights flickered on, and Yuta’s hands instinctively went up to his eyes, not adjusted to the brightness. He groaned as he pulled his hands away and his eyes began to adjust, immediately scanning the room, and noticing the figure standing at the doorway.

“Why am I in a hospital?” Yuta asked the doctor who held a clipboard in one hand.

“You don’t remember?” The doctor asked, raised eyebrow as he brought up his clipboard to scribble something down. Yuta shook his head.

The doctor frowned, as if debating on what to tell Yuta. Finally, he made up his mind and walked up to him. “You got in a car accident last night. By Han river. The people at your job said you went out for a break with your friend and there was an explosion at the factory next to the building, so no one noticed when you two didn’t come back. But from reports, it looks like you and your friend were driving by Han river, and then drove in by chance. His body hasn’t been found yet, but you were washed up against the river, on the opposite side of where your job is.”

Yuta shook his head, not able to process what was being said. He and Han Sol drove across the bridge and got in a car accident by the river? Why were they all the way over there during their break time? Why was Han Sol missing? Why wasn’t Yuta missing? How long had he been unconscious, and how long had his best friend been missing? Was he in the river?

As Yuta keep coming up with questions, his breathing began to grow faster and the heart monitor besides him began to beep fast and loud. But he couldn’t hear it. He couldn’t hear the doctor tell him to calm down, he couldn’t see the nurses and doctors rush in, he couldn’t hear the series of medical terms they were throwing around or the crazed rumbling around as he began to panic.

All he could see were blurry images of the night before. All he could hear where the panicked voices, the screams. When he told Han Sol it was a bad idea. When Han Sol got in the car and he followed behind. When the two were driving and laughing. And then the crash. And Yuta swimming out through the window. Trying to help Han Sol out.

And then things went black.

 

The next time Yuta woke up, he was aware of where he was and what had happened the previous night. The room was dark once again, except for the clock on the side that glowed lightly, letting him know it was Saturday, six p.m., the day after. He had been knocked out that long?

Yuta let out a shaky breath, eyes filling with tears as he thought about Han Sol. His best friend. He was gone. Missing. Dead. No, he wasn’t dead, he reminded himself. But then he shook his head. He was dead, drowned at the bottom of the river, his body not found yet. Dead.

And Yuta, somehow lucky, was sitting in a hospital room alone. Alone, because his family was back in Japan including his father who took a break from work and returned home for the summer, most likely unaware of his happenings. Alone because even though he seemed bright and loud all the time, he was insecure and shy and hadn’t met many people since he had arrived in Korea. Alone, because the only person who had stuck with him even when he wasn’t fluent in the language, was dead.

Yuta broke down. His vision went blurry as the tears began to fall, one after another, and then all at once. His hands went up to his face as he began gasping for air, choking from the shaky inhales and sobs.

When Yuta stopped crying he stayed hugging his knees close, sitting in the dark room, listening to the heart monitor and staring at the wall. His cheeks were stained with tears, and the headache he had before had only worsened, now feeling as if his brain had swelled and it was pounding against his skull. He sighed, knowing he couldn’t stay there forever. He was okay, physically at least.

Before he could process what he was doing, Yuta began to pull off whatever was stuck into his arm and stood up from the bed, glancing at the clock before he walked over to the door. It was close to seven, and for some reason that made him anxious. As if he was late for something. But he shrugged the feeling off and walked out of his hospital room, roaming through the empty hallways as he looked for an elevator. He wasn’t sure what floor he was on, but he assumed it was high, because when he glanced out the windows the ground was too far below.

Yuta stopped walking, hearing footsteps and muffled voices approaching his way. He quickly turned into the next hallway, scared to get caught. He wasn’t sure why that would scare him. He really doubted the doctors would force him to stay against his will, but just in case, he still hid until they passed by.

When the coast was clear, Yuta kept on walking, heading for the elevator the doctors had just stepped out from. He clicked the button for the first floor and stepped back, holding his hands together behind his back as he waited. He looked up, watching the numbers change as he neared the first floor. 3, 2, 1. Ding!

The elevator doors opened and Yuta stepped out, looking around to see many nurses and patients walking around. And then he saw the entrance doors. Glancing around to make sure no one saw him, he quickly rushed to the doors and walked out. He kept walking and walking, taking several turns here and there, avoiding making eye contact with anyone, aware of the strange looks people were sending him. And then he stopped when he realized where his footsteps had left him. Maine street.

It was the place he often went to with Han Sol during the weekends when they needed to release some stress. The small little shops, the food stands, and the movie theater at the far end.

Yuta began walking again, taking slow steps as he looked around, flashbacks of him and Han Sol walking around the street coming back to him with every step he took. Without realizing, he was in tears once again, standing at the end of the street, across from the movie theater he had often gone to with Han Sol. And he was staring at a stranger who stood in front of the theater, staring back at him.

Yuta felt dizzy once again, and his eyes shut tight for a few seconds before opening once again. The stranger was gone.

 

* * *

 

Si Chen groaned, kicking his shoes off as soon as he walked into the house and practically tearing off his jacket before throwing it on the couch.

“I’m assuming he was there?” Ten asked from the couch, not bothering to look up from his phone as he felt the empty space besides him sink. “I told you his unconscious mind would lead him there. While the unconscious mind is psychologically not an actual thing here in the human world, back where we are from it is a side effect of memory manipulation where we are from. Therefore, he still showed up to your date place because while he not remember it anymore, it was already in his plans before I manipulated his memory.”

Si Cheng let out a huff, crossing his arms together as he leaned his head back. “I didn’t even say where I went.”

“Don’t need to,” Ten hummed. “I know you too well.”

“He seemed sad.” Si Cheng ignored Ten. “He was in tears when I saw him.”

“In his mind, his best friend just died, so it’s only natural,” Ten said, still not looking up from his phone.

“Did you really have to give him such a sad memory?” Si Cheng huffed again.

Ten finally put down his phone, and turned to look at his friend. He scanned his face and pursed his lips. “Do you like him?”

Si Cheng tensed up, throwing a side-glance at Ten before his eyes focused on the coffee table in front of them. “Of course not.”

Ten kept staring at him, unconvinced by his words. Finally, he stopped and leaned back, picking his phone back up and going back to his game. “Okay. Good. I went through a lot of trouble setting up the entire accident with my powers so he could start anew without having to worry about you or Han Sol being taken by some crazy, twisted humans. Imagine if he remembered what happened to Han Sol and tried messing with those guys that took our crystal? They would kill him without a doubt. I would know, I have dealt with them before."

“Thank you,” Si Cheng finally said. He uncrossed his arms and looked over at Ten. “I know it wasn’t easy erasing his mind, manipulating his memories, and arranging that whole scene with your powers. Especially in the state you’re in. And having to go back to that place where you-"

Ten shook his head, stopping the boy from talking any further. “Don’t worry about it. It’s the least I could do for you after all the trouble you’re going through to get me home.”

Si Cheng smiled. “Of course. Our home planet was getting boring without you, after all.”

 

* * *

 

Yuta woke up that Monday more exhausted than he had ever felt in his life. It hadn’t even been three full days since his best friend had died and he had attended his funeral, talked with his family over the phone, and was now supposed to go back to school as if nothing happened. His job had given a week break, at least. But he still didn’t feel like rolling out of bed.

Yuta did so anyways, knowing if he didn’t attend school it would go bad for him in the long run. He got ready as usual. He made himself breakfast as usual. He fed his dog and cat as usual. And he walked to his university as usual. But he didn’t feel like usual. He felt empty inside. He felt alone. He was doing everything on autopilot while his mind remained too cloudy for him to process anything.

Which was why he didn’t understand when he found himself standing in front of the convenience store across from his school. He frowned, coming to his senses as he looked down at his phone to check the time. He still had an hour before classes began, so why had he woken up and headed out so early?

Yuta sighed, walking into the convenience store anyway. Might as well spend his one hour of break in a place with food. But he ended up not buying anything and just sat at the counter, staring out the window because he had eaten at home already. So he watched the people walk by.

Kids walked down the street, heading to the bus stop to head to school. Busy adults also walked down the street, heading to their jobs. And then college students passed by, all looking down at their phones as they crossed the street.

Yuta sighed, resting his cheek on his palm. It was such a sunny, beautiful morning and he was spending it inside the convenience store, staring at other people living their lives as he no longer felt any worth in his. Before he realized it, he was tearing up once again, feeling that same suffocated pain in his chest as his breathing fastened.

 _I need to get out of here,_ was all he was able to think as he stumbled to get up from his seat and quickly walked out. He found himself in an alley, sitting against the brick wall as he sobbed into his hands. He let it all out. All the frustration and pain he was feeling. That was what Yuta tended to do. He wouldn’t bottle up until he exploded, and he wouldn’t shelf away any feelings. He always let things out, knowing a goody cry would help. But this time was different.

Yuta cried, and cried, and cried. And he wasn’t feeling any better. He only felt more and more suffocated with each passing moment, and his sobs got lounder, and his heart ached more. And slowly, with every sob, his heart rate fastened and his breathing became more suffocated. It got so bad that Yuta was gasping for air as he began to clutch his chest. And then he heard the ringing. It was loud and sharp and jabbing at his brain. And then his vision began to blur. It faded, focusing and un-focusing. And then he shut his eyes tight, falling down completely as he tried to stop the aching he felt all over his body. And then it happened.

It was short, lasting less than a second, but he felt it was like an eternity. A series of flashing images ran through his head: _Han Sol in pain, a building in flames, collapsing and turning to ashes, people running down the street in fear, a face. A beautiful face. And Yuta could hear the shouts, the anguish, and someone calling his name._

With a loud gasp, Yuta snapped out of it, eyes opening wide and staring straight at the brick wall across from him. _What was that?!_  He questioned as he remained staring at the wall, trying to sort out of all the images he had seen. But he only ended up with more questions. Why did he see Han Sol, surrounded by glass and shouting in pain? He couldn’t find any memory in his mind of that, so why did he see that so vividly? And then the building collapsing; He was sure he had never seen anything like that before. Not outside of tv, at least. But that hadn’t felt like it was from tv; It had felt like he was there, living the moment. And then he had also heard the panicked shouts of the people. And lastly. . . that face.

That beautiful face was the last image Yuta had seen, staring at him with pained, pitying eyes. A look that tugged at Yuta’s heart as soon as the image had flashed by. So stunning, yet so sad.

Yuta didn’t know how to react after that. He hasn’t sure what that had been, but he was starting to think maybe he shouldn’t have left the hospital. There was something wrong with him for sure. But he chose not to think about it any further and stood up, dusting himself before he walked out of the dark alley. If there was something wrong with him, it would only become worse if he kept thinking about. Maybe acting like normal would make him feel like he actually was normal.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nae has been complaining about there being too much WayV and Yuwin and said it is "biased" or whatever. So next chapter won't be them I guess :( Also, in case no one remembers, Yuta was anxious about it being close to seven because that was when he had his date with Winwin that day, but he couldn't remember because Ten erased his memory. The last few updates were slow so I felt the need to say this. -J
> 
> This kid is definitely on crack  
> Yaaa  
> YaaAaAaAAa  
> You are biased tho  
> ~Nae


	7. The Rise of the Defender of the Public

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone watched as Jeno hanged up and put his phone back. He looked up, seeing how everyone was looking at him expectantly. “I got a callback for that internship.”
> 
> “Really? The fake interview we set up for you?” Hae Chan asked. “You actually went?”
> 
> Jeno shrugged. “Yeah, after everything went south and Jae Min almost died, I thought, ‘why not?’”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nae wrote like two small scenes here but I liked them so you all should too.

Jae Hyun was running late for class. Jae Hyun was never late for class. But it just so happened that Tae Yong and Johnny wanted to discuss some extra matters with him the night before and he wasn’t able to go to sleep until two in the morning. Not that he minded that much, but he still had his summer classes to attend early in the morning and he ended up missing his English class. Now he was running late for his business class.

Knowing his professor from that class already hated him, he figured it would be best to not show up at all than to show up late. But then there were also the matters of his project that he had to discuss with Do Young since they had already gone a lot of days without working on it. That was what had him using his super speed as soon as he woke up and saw how late he was running, having him rushing through the halls until he was running at average speed and crashing into someone. 

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Jae Hyun apologized, quickly bending down to pick up the objects the person had dropped. “I’m running late for class and I didn’t see where I was going so-”

Jae Hyun stopped rambling when he saw who he had run into. He was tall, handsome, dark-haired, and had the most beautiful, sparkling, doe-shaped eyes he had ever seen. He was completely and utterly in awe. “Uh-I-” Jae Hyun began to stutter as he handed the stranger his things back.

“Thank you,” The stranger said, a warm smile appearing on his face. “I wasn’t looking where I was walking either.”

Jae Hyun just nodded, unable to say anything else. The stranger cleared his throat, maintaining his smile and extending a hand out. “I’m Gong Myung,” He introduced himself.

“I-I’m Jae Hyun,” He introduced himself back as he hesitantly took the guy’s hand and shook it. And it wasn’t until that moment that it hit him that he was still running late for class and he let out a small gasp. “Oh my gosh I’m late for class!”

And before Gong Myung could say anything else, Jae Hyun had already run away, as fast as the speed of light, while praying his ears weren't red.

 

When Jae Hyun walked into class, the loud chatter he could hear from outside the classroom died down.

“Why are you late?!” His professor demanded.

“I overslept.” Jae Hyun responded casually, but deep down he was scared of his professor. Everyone laughed at his response to their professor, well, all but one.

The professor sighed, rolling her eyes.

“Take your seat and please don’t disrupt the class for your mistake. Next time I won’t be so lenient.” She said sternly and continued her lesson.

Ouch.

Jae Hyun walked to the back of class with a sheepish expression on his face. He could feel a specific pair of eyes on him but ignored it since he could already feel his ears burn. He hesitantly took out his journal and textbook for that class and tried to absorb as much as he could from the lesson but he missed a good chunk of class (his excuse instead of saying he sucks). He felt strangely drowsy and ended up falling asleep after trying to pay attention in class.

He only woke up after realizing the main reason why he even showed up, and right on time it seemed; Do young was just done packing up his things. Jae Hyun just shoved his journal and whatever he was writing with and ran to catch up to Do Young.

He gently pulled his arm. “What?” Do Young asked, almost glaring at the boy.

“W-we haven’t worked on our project yet and-” Do Young cut Jae Hyun off in the middle of his sentence.

“Call me tomorrow after five, I already told you I’m busy Mondays.” Do Young said and left. Jae Hyun stood there for a while before getting yelled at by his professor to leave.

 

* * *

 

“Honestly, I don’t need the break!” Jae Min had pleaded, throwing an arm up in the air to make himself look more convincing while holding his death drink in his other hand. “I’m really okay!” Everyone in the room had only looked at each other, exchanging knowing looks before they turned back to him and shook their heads. And that was how he had ended up sitting in a park bench with Jeno, reading other people’s minds and emotions as a sort of superpower therapy because everyone was worried he would have another power freak-out.

“Those two seem to be in love,” Jeno said, eyes focusing on a couple that walked by the pond.

“Nah, he just wants sex,” Jae Min said, shaking his head disapprovingly as he leaned back on the bench. “Poor girl.”

“Ew, I just read his mind and you’re right,” Jeno said as he quickly turned away, shivering with disgust written all over his face.

“What about them?” Jae Min said as he looked over at two guys that were laughing loudly at something they watched on one of their phones. “They look like two dudebros who sometimes makeout.”

“Hmm,” Jeno hummed as he concentrated on reading the guy’s minds. “I can only hear their thoughts on the video they’re watching.”

“Oooh, now is a good time to practice reading further into people’s minds,” Jae Min said, lightly shoving the other boy’s shoulder.

Jeno nodded. “Okay, but if I go too far, make sure to snap me out of it,” He said and the other boy nodded. With a breath, he closed his eyes and began to concentrate, trying to focus on his target. When he was located he began to concentrate further, trying to reach far into his mind, past his current thoughts, looking through older thoughts, memories. And he stayed like that for a few seconds, eyes closed and a concentrated look on his face.

“Jeno?” Jae Min asked, and Jeno snapped out of it, blinking up at the boy.

“Yeah, two dudebros who sometimes makeout,” Jeno confirmed with a nod.

Jae Min smiled proudly, not at how his predictions about the guys were correct, but at how Jeno seemed to have much better, further advanced control of his powers these days. It was like day by day he was finding new abilities and techniques with his powers. It only made sense though, because he actually tried developing them. But Jae Min still remembered one of the first times he tried and had gone too far and began to have that same overwhelming pain from hearing too many things at once. Luckily Jae Min was able to snap him out of it though.

“You’re doing so good with your powers,” Jae Min said, bumping his shoulder against Jeno’s.

“Of course.” Jeno smiled proudly. “With practice maybe one day I’ll become like Charles Xavier sunbaenim.” Jae Min snorted. “But you should also try developing your powers too, you know?”

“I try,” Jae Min pouted as he crossed his arms. “I just don’t try as much.”

“Exactly.” Jeno shook his head disapprovingly. “You could do so much more than just read people’s emotions. What if you could make people _really_ feel things? Or see people’s auras like in that one drama!”

“Really, you think I could do that?” Jae Min asked with raised eyebrows. “Hmm, let me try.”

Jeno nodded, and began to look around the park before finding a target; A middle-aged man sitting at one of the benches reading the newspaper. “Him!”

Jae Min nodded and began to concentrate. He stared at the man, eyes focusing like a camera. His fingers started to move, wriggling like waves, helping his powers remain under control. _See his aura_ , He thought as kept his focus. _See it. . ._

And then he blinked.

One moment it was there, and the next it wasn’t. The faint, almost foggy, pink surrounding the man had appeared, making Jae Min gasp. But as quick as it came, it disappeared.

“I saw it!” Jae Min said with a smile as he turned to Jeno. But then he frowned. “And then it disappeared. I wonder why.”

“Maybe you need to work it up?” Jeno suggested with a shrug.

Jae Min sighed, mumbling a smile ‘maybe’ as he turned around once again. His eyes lifted from the ground, deciding to not give up yet. And then he saw it- him. The very same boy that had him falling to the ground the last time he had seen him. He gasped once again, eyes going wide as he turned to look at Jeno.

“That’s him!” Jae Min yelled as he pointed at the boy. “That’s the pretty boy I saw last time!”

“The one that made you lose control?!” Jeno asked, almost as shocked as Jae Min was. They turned once again, looking for the boy until they found him sitting on the soft grass by the pond, leaning against a tree as he scribbled something into a sketchbook. “Oh, you’re right, he _is_ pretty.”

Jae Min sent Jeno a look, but didn’t say anything. Instead the two boys stood up and began to walk over to the guy. They were slow, as if they were scared he was going to run off. And when they finally got close, they exchanged a look and fully walked over to the boy.

But as they were walking over, it was like he could feel their presence, and his head snapped up. And that was the first time Jae Min was able to look at him clearly. His dark eyes and round eyes, his soft skin, his pink lips. He really was pretty. And he was completely sure this was the same boy that he had seen the other day, no doubt about it in his mind.

Jae Min hadn’t noticed he was staring, looking straight into the stranger’s eyes, until Jeno was inside his mind telling him to snap out of it. He then cleared his throat, taking a few steps closer to the stranger, and going down to his knees because he didn’t feel comfortable just looking down at him the whole time. Jeno followed along.

“Hi, uh,” Jae Min didn’t know what to say. Many times over the past week he had imagined what it would be like to encounter the pretty boy once again, but never had actually thought about what he would say. Was he supposed to just introduce himself? Or get straight to it? He mentally shook his head and decided to just speak. He was always a smooth talker, after all. “I’m Jae Min and you must be the pretty boy I saw the other day around here.”

Jeno facepalmed, and Jae Min smiled wide; his infamous toothy grin. The boy didn’t react though. Instead he scanned him, and then glanced at Jeno. And he didn’t say anything and Jae Min was starting to feel like an idiot, but he didn’t drop his smile. He just stayed there uncomfortably.

“I don’t think so,” The boy finally spoke. Jae Min frowned, taken back by the unexpected answer. Was this not that pretty boy? No, it had to be him. Jae Min was 100% sure of it. So, did he not remember him? How could someone not remember an incident like the one that had happened? Jae Min clearly remembered this boy kneeling down besides him, a pained expression on his face while he was passing out. They had a moment! How could he not remember that?!

And Jeno, being as nosy as he was and obviously reading his mind, snorted before bursting out laughing.

 _Stop laughing and read his mind_ , Jae Min thought, sending the message to Jeno.

 _Sorry, already tried but I couldn’t. And this is just too good_ , Jeno sent a message back, still laughing silently by himself at his side.

“You really don’t remember me?” Jae Min asked, sounding more disappointed than he wanted to show.

The boy shook his head. “I don’t know who-” And then it happened. His voice halted and he leaned back against the tree as if someone had just shoved him against it. And then he groaned. A loud, painful groan. The boy’s eyes shut tight as he began clutching chest, a move Jae Min and Jeno were all too familiar with. They exchanged a quick, worried glance.

“Hey,” Jae Min said in alert, reaching out to grab the guy’s arms. But before he could do that, pretty boy’s eyes shot wide open, looking more gray than brown. And he stared deep into Jae Min’s eyes as if he was able to read right through him.

“Are you okay?” Jeno asked the boy, oblivious to Jae Min’s tensed up body.

Pretty boy let out a shaky breath, still backed up against the wall. His eyes went back to dark brown. “Yes,” He panted, breathing hard and closing eyes once again. But this time it was more in a resting rather than pained way.

“What was that?” Jae Min asked sounding more demanding than he intended.

The boy’s eyes shot open, a hint of glare and annoyance in them. “My life is none of you business,” He said as he began to gather his things.

“Maybe not,” Jae Min said as he watched him stand up before he followed along, and then Jeno too. “But I just watched you experience something similar to what I experienced, and you still claim you don’t remember?”

“It really,” The boy said through gritted teeth, “Is none of your business.”

And then he turned around sharply and began to walk away. But Jae Min wasn’t going to let him get away that quick. No, not when thought he had just figured things out. Rushing over to step in front of the guy, he placed his hands on his shoulders and leaned in, staring straight into his eyes. And then he flinched and instantly let go. He took a sharp breath, eyes softening. “You have them too?” It was more of a statement than a question.

The boy’s eyes narrowed and his head tilted. He looked up at Jae Min with something that was no longer a glare, but still not a very happy look. And Jae Min couldn’t understand why he wasn’t able to feel a anything from the boy. No single emotion. It was as if he had no soul.

And then pretty boy scoffed, leaning away from Jae Min. “Is that why you had that freak-out in the middle of the park last week? You lost control of your powers?” The boy asked, and Jae Min was taken back once again.

“W-well,” Jae Min stuttered, eyes looking at anything but the boy, suddenly feeling a sense of shame, “Yes?”

Jeno began to laugh once again and Jae Min sent him a glare.

“So what kind of powers do you have that made you lose such control?” Pretty boy asked, a more teasing but unfriendly look on his face. As if he was making fun of him like a bully in middle school.

“Well I can’t tell you if you don’t tell me yours,” Jae Min said defensively.

“Not happening,” The boy replied, crossing his arms. His expression once again turned into one which Jae Min was not able to read. “Anyways, I should get going,” he spoke once again. “Try not to run into me again.” And then he began to walk away.

“What just happened?” Jae Min asked, turning to Jeno who held a teasing smile on his face.

Jeno pursed his lips, looking at ‘Pretty boy’ who was walking away. “Well, you, my dear friend, have just been played by someone who also seems to have powers.”

Jae Min groaned, falling to his knees. “He didn’t even tell me his name.”

 

* * *

 

“Jae Min is whipped,” Jeno told the others when they returned to their small shack room. “Pretty boy is definitely pretty, and Jae Min is whipped.”

Hae Chan shook his head, clicking his tongue disapprovingly. “We have lost a precious 00’ member to the social construct that we know as ‘love.”

Jae Min rolled his eyes, grabbing a pillow from the couch and throwing it at Hae Chan. “Shut up. I’m not whipped or in love. I’m just curious about him and his powers.”

Mark who was sitting in the corner of the room quietly processing everything cleared his throat. “So, this boy is the same one that was there when your powers went haywire?” Jae Min nodded. “And this time it was him that seemed to be in pain?” He nodded again. “Hmm,” Mark hummed to himself as he leaned back in his seat. “Interesting. And Jeno was there, but he couldn’t feel anything?”

“Well,” Jeno spoke up, sitting up from his seat with an unsure look, “I tried reading his mind, but it was all blank. As if his brain was in lock, preventing me access.”

“What about your powers, Jae Min?” Mark asked, turning to the other boy.

“I didn’t notice before, but thinking about it now I don’t recall feeling any sort of emotion from him,” Jae Min said with a shrug. “I didn’t try hard on him, though, but I didn’t feel his presence.”

“Interesting,” Mark hummed once again. “So you powers don’t work on him, and his and your powers go off around each other only, but not Jeno.”

“What are you trying to say?” Chenle spoke up.

Mark looked around the room, all eyes on him. He let out a breath. “I’m not really sure. But I think his powers may have some sort of contrast from yours.”

Jae Min’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Contrast?”

Jeno snorted. “Well, obviously his must be stronger. While ‘pretty boy’ only seemed to have a few seconds of pain, Jae Min was completely on the floor, powers out of control, slowly dyin-”

Jae Min sent his best friend a look, immediately shutting him up. “Anyways, whatever his powers are, they certainly are stronger than mine.”

There was silence in the room. Mark was getting ready to say something while everyone else was still processing the new piece of information, trying to figure out what to make out of it. And then the phone ringing was heard throughout the entire room.

“Sorry, that’s mine,” Jeno said, taking his phone out of his pocket. He frowned, looking at the contact. “Hello?” He answered. There was a moment of silence, and his eyebrows raised. “Really? Wow, thank you… Yes, I’ll show up Monday.”

Everyone watched as Jeno hanged up and put his phone back. He looked up, seeing how everyone was looking at him expectantly. “I got a callback for that internship.”

“Really? The fake interview we set up for you?” Hae Chan asked. “You actually went?”

Jeno shrugged. “Yeah, after everything went south and Jae Min almost died, I thought, ‘why not?’”

Ji Sung shook his head, turning back in his seat and going back to his typing. “Well, maybe we could use that to our advantage.”

“How so, Sung?” Chenle asked from his seat.

“Because now we have an in.”

 

 

* * *

 

“We have noticed a pattern,” Johnny said as he moved on to the next slide. “Doctor Death seems to only attack on Mondays and Fridays.”

Jae Hyun frowned, looking at the list of all the attacks that were listed on the power-point. Had there really been a pattern this whole time and he had just spent all those days worrying about the villain’s next attacks when there was a schedule he could have been using this whole time? He groaned, stuffing his face into his hands. Then the realization hit him and he looked back up with wide eyes. “Today is Monday.”

Tae Yong nodded, leaning back on his chair with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his red hoodie and his feet resting on the table. “So you should be prepared to head out at any moment now.”

“But I have an assignment to work on,” Jae Hyun groaned.

“It’s summer,” Johnny said with a frown.

“I’m taking summer classes.”

“Oh. I didn’t really need college.”

“Must be nice.”

“Doctor Death is attacking,” Tae Yong spoke up, sitting up as he handed Jae Hyun his phone so he could see the live news airing of the villain attacking the city. “It’s time.”

Jae Hyun sighed, standing up and slamming his hands down on the table. “Where’s my super suit?”

After that he changed into his blue suit and walked out into the room to say goodbye to Johnny and Tae Yong. But the older of the two led to him to another room, saying he had something to give him first. And there, standing in the dim room with nothing but a light that shone over the glass case illuminating the room, Jae Hyun found himself in awe.

“Is that mine?” He asked, completely awestruck at the gadget in front of him.

Johnny nodded. “Specifically designed to suit you, and you only.”

 

* * *

 

Doctor Death zoomed through the city with a huge chunk of metal underneath him for dramatic effect. He loved terrorizing the citizens of the city when he was bored. He loved to tease the small hero that called himself ‘Captain J’ because Doctor Death knew he’d always win against him. At any moment Captain J would appear with poorly designed rags from a shady alley.

“Ugh, he’s not showing up,” The villain mumbled to himself. “Should I destroy a building just for him to make an appearance?” He asked himself as he laid back on the chunk of metal he was on top of with flames underneath him.

“Stop right there!” The sweet and addictive voice yelled, catching Doctor Death’s attention. He turned to lay on his stomach and looked down at the flames that surrounded the hero and found himself surprised to see his change of outfit. The hood he always wore was replaced by a fancy new suit that was befitting of his image; And he was gliding through the air on a silver board with some sort of logo at the center which he could not see clearly.

Doctor Death smiled at the sight. “Finally”, he said with a hint of solace in his voice. He lowered the chunk of metal and chucked it away when he reached the ground. “About time, I was about to take over Japan!” Doctor Death said clearly exaggerating.

“Very funny, but I won’t let you get away!” Captain J yelled courageously and dashed towards the villain on his board.

Doctor Death was able to dodge his attack just barely. It seemed like Captain J had finally learned how to take stronger control over his speed powers. The villain was impressed. So, deciding he could finally go harder on the boy, he used his powers to lift a series of empty cars and began to launch them at the hero, testing out his super agility.

As expected, Captain J was able to zoom past all the cars on his board, zooming past each one with much grace until he was standing right in front of Doctor Death, panting. It seemed he could only use his super speed for small moments before his stamina ran out.

“Impressive,” Doctor Death mumbled, staring at the guy who stood right in front of him. “You have really grown your powers.”

Captain J looked at him, his breath slowing down. And he realized this was the first time the two had ever gotten this close to each other; And he was finally able to get a good look at his foe. Through his mask, he could see his doe shaped eyes. His dark, raven hair was split down the side, his bangs covering one of his eyes. And he was tall. Almost as tall as him, but falling shorter by two centimeters or so. And he was young, probably around the same age as him. And all that time he had spent thinking he was fighting a middle-aged man.

Jae Hyun gasped, sensing the slightest bit of movement from the villain and immediately jumping up from his board, making a complete spin, going over his enemy as the board went under, and he landed on it. His back facing the villain’s back. Had he really just done that? Was his agility really that powerful? To allow him to make such flips? And his board had just followed his movements even when he left it.

“Impressive,” Doctor Death barely whispered as he and Captain J both turned to face each other once again.

“I didn’t know I could do that,” Jae Hyun, quite stupidly, said out loud.

Doctor Death snorted. “Sometimes you powers come automatically when you need them the most. It’s like, deep inside they know you better than yourself.”

Jae Hyun raised an eyebrow, confused by the others sudden wise words. “Are you getting soft?” He, once again, stupidly spoke out loud.

Doctor Death scoffed, and Jae Hyun was sure he saw him eye roll. “Please, I’ve been going soft on you since the first day we fought.”

Jae Hyun moved to the side, dodging an attack from him before making one of his own. “Well maybe I don’t need you to treat me like a baby,” He said right before he zoomed towards the villain and jumped, throwing him a side kick in the middle of the air before landing back on his board.

Doctor Death groaned, spitting at the floor as he hovered back up. “Let me guess, you didn’t know you could do that either?”

“Not really, no,” Jae Hyun mumbled right before dodging another flying car. “But like you said, its like my powers know best.”

Doctor Death chuckled. “So, since I’ve been going soft on you can I finally stop treating you like a baby?” He asked, a mischievous tone to his voice.

 _‘When you can, let him show you deeper into his powers. He won’t hurt you, trust me, but we need to see what he can do.’_ Jae Hyun remembered Johnny’s words and nodded. To be quite honest, he was terrified of Doctor Death. He was quite aware he had been going very easy on him this whole time, seeing how he had no problem levitating things and launching them at him, while also manipulating them in some way to seem like they were on fire or bigger than they actually were. He had some sort of illusion manipulation powers and that really freaked him out. But he knew he wouldn’t hurt him. Too much.

“Let’s go.” He sounded confident. He wasn’t.

Doctor Death smiled, bringing his hands up and swinging them down, a magical, electrical, purple force coming out of his hands. He pulled his hands back, as if getting into a fight position, and Jae Hyun wasn’t quite sure what to do.

“Scared?” The villain asked.

“No way,” Jae Hyun responded.

And then Doctor Death launched forward, using one of his magical shields to hit Jae Hyun’s arm just barely before making a full spin and throwing a kick at him. The hero was sent flying back, immediately regaining posture when he felt his feet land on the board once again. But he didn’t have much time to relax when Doctor Death did another spin and launched at him once again, his purple shields morphing into one, long, blade. Jae Hyun jumped, his senses kicking in and time slowing down for a split second as his board went up and morphed into a silver shield, the red and white logo clearly visible at the center, right before Doctor Death’s blade crashed against it. And then time cached up and the magic blade’s force against Jae Hyun’s shield-turned-board sent him flying back, but not before his shield turned into a board once again and caught him.

“I told you, I can handle it,” Jae Hyun said, landing on the floor with a proud smile on his face.

Doctor Death had an amused look on his face, also lowering down to the ground. “Impressive,” Was all he was able to say. “Very impressive.”

And the public watched in awe as the villain made a bow, right before vanishing and leaving the great defender of the people, Captain J behind. Everyone cheered and shouted, surrounding the hero and thanking him for keeping the city safe. Somewhere back in a small room, the Dream Team were clapping and awe. Somewhere, in an old abandoned building, Ten was shaking his head and rolling his eyes. And somewhere, back at their headquarters, Johnny and Tae Yong were high-fiving.

“He has the people on his side now.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the longest we have gone without updating. We- Or I have been busy with college and Nae has been... sleeping. And we've also been crying over how 127 are coming to Houston and we are broke. Anyways I hope this chapter is good? I actually had fun writing that fight scene. Also, I think the plot is really going to develop more after this. -J
> 
> FuN fAcT One of the scenes in here wasn't supposed to be here. Can ya'll guess what scene it is? 
> 
> {No vine}
> 
> ~Nae


	8. Reset: A New Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m sorry,” Yuta spoke in a soft tone, and Si Cheng bit his bottom lip. It was the first time he had heard him speak in a while. “But have we met before?” And Si Cheng froze. He felt every muscle in his body tense up and he was sure the rapid pace of his heartbeat wasn’t normal even for someone that wasn’t human like himself.
> 
> But then Yuta laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has some sad parts??

“Humans are weird,” Ten said as he picked up the remote and turned the television off despite Lucas’ protests. “That Captain J guy barely did anything and everyone is swooning all over him.”

“He has charisma,” Xiao Jun spoke up from his seat on the floor.

Ten shook his head in disagreement. “Nope. I don’t get it. You know who’s really out there doing cool things? Doctor Death. He has great powers and he can use them. Though, I am critical of the way he is choosing to use them. Seriously? Taunting the hero? No. He could go for world domination!”

“Alright, calm down, Ten,” Kun said as he walked into the living room from the kitchen. “Remember what got us here in the first place.”

Ten rolled his eyes, leaning back on the couch with a slight pout on his face. “I’m just saying, humans don’t know how to use their powers correctly. Also, they swoon over the most bare minimum things.”

“I think humans are quite fascinating,” Lucas spoke up from his seat on the other, smaller, couch. “The other day I was taking a walk to the store and I saw a family playing at the park. They were kicking a ball around and whenever a side lost, they didn’t annihilate one of the members.”

Ten’s face scrunched up. “Then what is the point? I can’t believe I’ve been stuck in this planet for five years already.”

“Shouldn’t you be the most adapted one since you’ve been here the longest?” Yang Yang spoke up from his seat besides Xiao Jun on the floor.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t question them.” Ten sighed.

Si Cheng pursed his lips, thinking about everything they were talking about. He frowned and bit his bottom lip. “Either way, we’re the villains, right?”

Everyone in the room went silent, thinking about Si Cheng’s words.

“We’re not villains,” Ten spoke up after some silence. “We’re not heroes either. What do the humans call them? Anti heroes. We fall under that gray area; No morals, no mal-intentions, nothing but our own selfish reasons as motivations. But most importantly, we’re us. We’re WayV.”

 

* * *

 

Yuta woke up, once again sweating from the series of nightmares. His breathing was fast and heavy and his vision was blurred. He was in tears. And he knew it wasn’t just a dream. It was another one of those visions. He had been having them consecutively for the past couple of nights; The same one over and over again. But this one was different. There was a lot of fire everywhere, surrounding him. A flash of navy blue. A blurred smile and tingly feelings. And then that guy once again. The beautiful one.

He sighed, turning to look out the window above his bed. It was a bright, full moon. He turned to the other side where he could see his alarm clock. It was three in the morning. Deciding he wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep, Yuta stood up and grabbed a blue hoodie, slipped into his shoes, and walked out, not bothering to change out of his sweatpants.

The night was silent, there weren’t many people out at that time. All the stores were closed and buildings stood tall and dark. A few cars passed by here and there, and he walked by a jogging couple at some point. But other than that, the streets were lonely.

Unsure of where he was walking to, Yuta let his footsteps lead him along. He only stopped walking when he found himself standing by Han river, close to where the building he interned at was. A sigh escaped his lips as he looked up at the building and flashbacks of him and Han Sol came along. Without thinking too much, he walked over to the back of the building and found himself standing in front of the fence that kept him separated from the old factory.

A flashback of Han Sol telling him he was sure he had seen something back there one night came back, and Yuta frowned. He felt the urge to jump over, wanting to know what was inside of the building. And feeling like he had nothing to lose, and a new wave of emotions, Yuta took a few steps back before running forward and climbed over the fence with ease, landing on the other side with a grunt.

 _Something’s different_ , He thought to himself as he looked around and saw broken glass lying around everywhere. Had someone broken inside or something? Was it that explosion he had heard vaguely about? Feeling a wave of curiosity, Yuta walked over the building and began to look for a way in. There were many windows on the second floor, but none at the bottom. And there weren’t any doors except for the main entrance door at the front of the building that had a huge lock preventing him from going inside. But he was determined and went around to the back of the building and started to climb the ledges until he reached a window. Careful around the sharp edges of the broken glass, Yuta peeked inside. There was not much to see, quite to his disappointment.

It was dark inside, the moonlight barely peeking in through the windows. But Yuta still went inside, carefully landing atop the second floor that had a huge wide opening that showed the bottom floor. He began to head down the stairs, feeling more eager to look around. But he couldn’t find anything interesting. Empty cardboard boxes, useless wires lying around, and some huge, wide, metal circle in the middle. It looked like whatever had been inside had been taken out in a rush. And there were also ashes and burned scraps of metal. As if there had been some sort of explosion. So it was true.

Yuta sighed, sitting in the middle of the building, atop the big metal circle, and hugged his knees close, burying his head in them. This place was as empty as he was. And with that thought, he looked up once again, eyes filling up with tears. He would love to tell Han Sol about this. The old factory he had been so curious about was empty. But he wasn’t there, and he wasn’t coming back.

And Yuta began to lose it again. An overwhelming sense of emotions came to him and he began to cry. He sobbed loudly, groaning in pain as he tried to gasp for air. He felt suffocated. He felt pained. Like there was something inside him trying to escape and hurting him all the more while trying. And he was in grief, mind filled with thoughts about Han Sol and all the worst things he could possibly think about.

He would never see Han Sol again. He could never tell him about the factory. They could never finish their internship together and become successful businessmen together. He wouldn’t graduate. He wouldn’t watch him get married, or have kids. There was so much- so much he and Han Sol had planned together. And none of it was going to come true.

Feeling anguished, Yuta stood up, releasing a loud groan as he clenched his fists and shut his eyes tight, before falling to his knees. And he heard a loud whoosh and his hands felt hot. He opened his eyes and saw a blue sort of fog surrounding him, crushing everything in sight. The metal pieces, the broken shards, the door; Everything turned to ash.

Yuta gasped, looking down at his hands as tears continued to stream down his hands. They were the source of that blue, foggy wave. He quickly stood up, as a sort of an attempt to escape whatever was happening with his hands, still looking at them with that strong incredulity. But it didn’t stop and only got worse instead, destroying everything in sight. Yuta ran up to the stairs, grabbing a hold of them before they collapsed, and the blue mist spread quickly, destroying the whole second floor too and everything else in sight. And then the building started to fall down too. It wasn’t like they were up in flames, or like whatever substance he was releasing from his hands was fire. It was just some sort of magical thing that made everything he touched- or everything that was near- collapse and turn to ashes.

His breathing fastened once again, watching the entire building fall down around his through the blue fog. He took a step back, and another. It wasn't stopping. Nothing was stopping. Not his rapid breathing or the blue fog and the massive destruction. His steps got faster as all he wanted to do was get out of there.

Yuta turned and headed for the door, running out as quick as he could as the entire building began to collapse. He looked down and clenched his fists in an attempt to stop whatever he was doing, but instead the fence broke down, bending in a way as if a giant had just slammed their hand down on it. Yuta’s breathing fastened once again and he began to run down the empty streets. He ran and ran, scared of his own self as everything he walked past either crumbled down and bent or turned to ashes. The lamppost he turned at bent, and the empty cars he passed by crushed down. And he ran to the only place where he could be isolated in peace without hurting anything or anyone.

 

* * *

 

Yuta woke up at the cemetery next to Han Sol’s grave. The smell of the freshly cut grass was the first thing that came to him as he opened his eyes. And then the flashbacks of the night before came to mind with a ringing sound making his head hurt. He shut his eyes tight as his hands went up to the sides of his head in attempts to stop the ringing.

“I found him!” He heard a voice shout and footsteps approach.

Yuta's eyes snapped open and he sat up with a gasp, feeling sudden fear that he could possibly hurt whoever it was. And then he saw the armor, silver, navy blue, and iron? He looked up, eyes landing on the owner of the metal suit that stared down at him with a worried expression. And then someone else came along, trailing behind in a red hoodie.

“Who…?” Yuta asked, hugging his knees tight as if that would stop him from doing whatever he did the previous night.

The guy in the iron suit glanced back at the guy in the red hoodie who nodded before turning to look at him once again. “I’m Johnny, and that’s Tae Yong. We’re- well- I guess you could call us superheros.”

Yuta’s eyes widened slightly. “Like, Captain J?”

“Yeah, we know him.” The guy named Tae Yong spoke with a firm nod.

“Were you at the old factory last night?” The guy named Johnny asked, getting straight to the point.

Yuta felt a thud and he clenched his fists tight. He nodded slowly, feeling his fight or flight responses approaching. As if the two guys could sense this, they exchanged another look before the Johnny guy lowered himself down and said, “You can trust us. We know about your powers, and we’re here to help.”

Yuta looked back and forth between the two, his breath growing uneven once again. “Help?”

“Yes, we were able to pick up the unusual activity and traced it back down to this place and it’s all very scientific but-” Johnny paused, realizing how scared Yuta was looking. He had dark under circles from lack of sleep over the last few nights, his clothes were all dirty, and his hair was messy. His face was also tear stained and his eyes were puffy. Johnny looked at him pitifully. “You’re scared, and we just want to help you, but we need you to trust us.”

Yuta nodded slowly, shaking from the cold, but his breath getting steadier. “Okay.”

“Tae Yong?” Johnny spoke, looking up at the other who nodded in response. He walked over, flicking his wrist up, and Yuta was knocked out.

 

The next time Yuta woke up he found himself on a thin mattress inside a dark room. Something felt tight around his wrists and he looked down to see some sort of metal bracelets on them. He stood up, finding the silhouette of a door and walking over to it. He found the doorknob and twisted it, pushing the door forward.

“ _Ah_ , you’re awake,” A voice came from the other side of whatever room he now stood in. His eyes adjusted to the light and he was able to look around the much brighter room. It was wide, spacious, and filled with mostly white and metal sleek furnace. There were white couches and metal decorations, and the whole place just looked very futuristic. And on one of the couches, was Tae Yong flipping through the channels on the tv, and then Johnny looking at him from his desk on the opposite side.

“Where am I?” Yuta asked as he ventured further into the room.

“My home. Headquarters. It’s a mix of both,” Johnny said with a shrug.

Yuta watched as the tall guy got up from desk, wearing a very formal looking suit, and walking over to one of the couches and sitting down. He pointed at the couch on the other side, gesturing for him to sit down. He did as told.

“What are these?” Yuta asked, looking down at the metal objects on his wrists.

“They’ll block out your powers for now,” Tae Yong responded, glancing down at the Japanese boy’s wrists. “We ran scans on your powers and it seems like they are quite powerful, perhaps too powerful for you to control anytime soon. Especially in the state of grief you are in.”

Yuta frowned, head snapping towards Tae Yong. “How do you know I’m in grief?”

“We did a brief background check to see if we could figure out how you got your powers,” Johnny responded. “I’m sorry for your loss. But I do have to ask, do the files really tell the truth when they say you were on the other side of the river when the accident happened? Opposite from your place of work?”

Yuta nodded, faint flashbacks of that night coming back to him. “Yes, we were on the other side. Why?”

“There was an accident in that old factory and we thought if you were near it then that would explain your powers,” Tae Yong explained. “But I guess it could have traveled through the water or something. They are quite unexpected and unpredictable forces”

Yuta bit his bottom lip as he processed what they were saying. “So, just how powerful are my abilities?”

Tae Yong sighed, turning the television off and setting the remote down. “Very,” He answered. “For powers such as yours, you must have had some very heavy impact of some sort. I’m honestly surprised you’re alive right now. From what we scanned, you could destroy anything and everything in unpredictable radiuses. It will also be very hard to control them for a while, they seem to still be adjusting to your body.”

“Will these things prevent me from having the visions too?” Yuta asked, looking down at his wrists before looking up at Tae Yong curiously.

Tae Yong frowned. “You have visions?” Yuta nodded in response.

Johnny and Tae Yong exchanged another glance.

“I think they might? We really mostly designed them to be suited to your strong psionic powers, but I guess visions could work with that. Can you tell me, what sort of visions have you been getting?” Tae Yong asked curiously, as if he were doing some sort of research.

“Just things like buildings on fire and collapsing-” Yuta gasped, looking down at his hands before turning to the other two with wide eyes. “Do you think that has something to do with my powers? I cause all the trouble in the visions I have?”

“Calm down,” Johnny said as he shook his head. “You can’t think like that. You have to know one day you’ll be able to control yourself.”

“But what if I can’t?” Yuta asked in panic, his eyes turning glassy. “What if I put people in danger?”

Tae Yong shook his head. “No, that certainly will not happen. Trust us.”

Yuta didn’t know why he felt the instant need to trust the two guys. Even if he wasn’t sure he trusted them, he just wanted to. Maybe he was desperate to have someone at his side once again, but he nodded anyway. And he felt calm for the first time in a while.

With that being settled, Johnny cleared his throat as he leaned back on his seat. “So, what do you think about moving in here with us? You know, so we can keep a closer eye on your powers and try to run more tests and help you control them?”

Yuta’s eyes slightly widened, taken back by the sudden question. “Uh,” He mumbled, looking down at his hands. “Maybe?”

 

* * *

 

Si Cheng sat at the windowsill, a leg dangling off while the other was folded up and he rested his elbow on it. He stared out at the city, letting himself take in the loud sounds of car honks and the bright lights of the tall buildings. He sighed.

“What’s wrong?” A voice asked with concern, and he didn’t have to turn to see the frown on Kun’s face.

“Nothing,” Si Cheng said, rather unconvincing.

“Hmm,” Kun hummed, taking a seat across from him. “Does this have something to do with that Yuta boy?”

Si Cheng’s eyes widened the slightest as he turned to look at the older guy. “Am I really that transparent?”

Kun chuckled. “Well, even back home you never paid any attention to those who were courting you and you for sure would have never cared if any of them found themselves in trouble. But this boy? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so stressed.”

Si Cheng sighed, knowing what Kun was saying was true. Never had he found himself worrying so much about anyone that wasn’t a close friend. But this Yuta guy, he had met him a little below a year ago the first day he pretended to be a regular college student to fit in with the humans and he walked into class and the first thing he heard was the weirdest human pick up line. And after that it just continued, and he admitted it was a bit irritating at first, but eventually he didn’t mind. It was rather amusing. And though he didn’t know much about Yuta, he knew he was a genuinely happy and nice guy who felt things deeply and thought deeply. So everything that he was going through at the moment didn’t seem fair.

“He just deserves a better life,” Si Cheng sighed, turning to look out the window once again. “It’s not fair to someone like him to end up in such a sh*tty situation.”

Kun gave Si Cheng a pitiful look. “Nothing is fair. But I think you need to trust he’ll be able to get out of this situation.” There was a pause, and Kun seemed hesitant on what he was going to say next. “Why don’t you go see him? Check on how he’s really doing?”

Si Cheng slowly turned to look at Kun, a disbelieving look on his face. “Really?” The other nodded.

“I mean, he doesn’t remember you, so seeing him from a distance wouldn’t hurt, right?”

So, Si Cheng did as suggested and the next day he woke up early to wait at the convenience store across the university, waiting for Yuta to pass by. But he didn’t pass by. Instead, the boy walked into the store, the door opening with a ding, startling Si Cheng.

Si Cheng held in a gasp when he saw Yuta; the dark bags under his eyes, his messy hair, and chapped lips. And then the later turned around and noticed his presence, being the only two in the store besides the cashier who had gone to the back for a moment.

Yuta didn’t seem to think about it at first, turning his head and walking to the other side of the store. Si Cheng let out a breath of relief, feeling his tense muscles go loose once again. But when he turned around, ready to leave the place, only to find Yuta standing right besides him staring up at him with an unreadable expression, he knew he messed up.

“I’m sorry,” Yuta spoke in a soft tone, and Si Cheng bit his bottom lip. It was the first time he had heard him speak in a while. “But have we met before?” And Si Cheng froze. He felt every muscle in his body tense up and he was sure the rapid pace of his heartbeat wasn’t normal even for someone that wasn’t human like himself.

But then Yuta laughed.

“I’m sorry, nevermind,” Yuta chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling as his hand covered his mouth. “It’s a stupid pick-up line. I’m sure if I had ever met you I would remember someone as pretty as you."

Si Cheng was speechless. His breath hitched and he wanted to speak but nothing was coming out of his mouth. Thoughts flowed through his head, none of them able to process clearly. Did Yuta just use the very same pick-up line he had used when they first met? Even in the state he was? Something about that made Si Cheng feel a wave of relief and ease, while also making him sad once again.

Yuta scratched the back of his neck, feeling shy when Si Cheng didn’t say anything in return. “I want to say it worked because you’re smiling, but you’re not saying anything, so…”

Si Cheng was smiling? Oh god, he hadn’t even noticed he was smiling! What was he supposed to say then? “Uh, I,” Si Cheng paused, trying to find the right words, “It was just amusing to hear such cheesy pick-up lines.”

Yuta looked up at him, a slight look of relief on his face. “Yeah, it was stupid, I guess. It just came out.”

Si Cheng nodded, not knowing what else to say. He wanted to introduce himself, sit down with Yuta to get to know him better. But there was something inside of him telling him he couldn’t do that. No matter how much he wanted to, he wasn’t supposed to be talking to him anymore.

“I have to go,” Si Cheng said, looking down at his watch as if he actually had somewhere he needed to be.

There was a flash of disappointment in Yuta’s eyes and Si Cheng wasn’t really sure what to make out of it. He just knew he hated to see the happy look on his face disappear after no being able to smile for a while.

“I have class, so I have to go too,” Yuta said, looking down at his fiddling hands. “But maybe we can see each other again and I can tell you more amusing pick-up lines?”

Si Cheng chuckled unconsciously. “We’ll see about that,” He hummed before walking out, leaving a very baffled Yuta behind. And then he kept walking and walking and walking, a smile plastered on his face, until he got back home and realized what had just happened.

He had just, yet again, become the reason behind Yuta’s smile.

 

* * *

 

“You look happier today,” Tae Yong said when Yuta walked into the headquarters later on that day before turning his attention back to the game he was playing. “I didn’t think going to school could give someone those feelings.”

Yuta shook his head, taking off his backpack before sitting next to Tae Yong on the couch. “I just saw someone today.”

Tae Yong paused his game and turned to look at Yuta. “Someone,” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “Someone you like? Because you’ve been living here a week now and you’ve done nothing but mope arou-”

Yuta shook his head, rolling his eyes the slightest. “No, I just saw someone cute today and flirted with them. And it felt nice. Like it was a missing part of my daily routine that made everything fit together nicely.”

Tae Yong nodded, a small smile on his face. “I understand. Well, if you ever need to talk about anything, I’m more than just Johnny’s right hand man who helps him deal with all the superhero stuff.”

“Yeah, you’re also the couch potato that does nothing but play video games when he’s not busy helping Johnny or cleaning,” Yuta said with a grin.

“Hey, I do more than just that,” Tae Yong said, ready to defend himself. But before he could, Johnny walked into the room with Jae Hyun following behind as he told him about what a great job he did during his last encounter with Doctor Death.

“I’m telling you, the comments on all the articles are praising you and calling you the defender of the people,” Johnny said, looking down at his tablet and flipping through the tons of articles that had appeared since the last battle. “It looks like we’ll be able to transition into the next phase of our plan soon.”

Johnny looked up from his tablet, noticing the presence of Tae Yong and Yuta in the room. “Oh, you two are here too. Great, Yuta, have you met Jae Hyun?”

Yuta shook his head, looking over at the guy who stood besides Johnny, looking tall, but not as tall as him, and younger by a couple of years.

“Well, Yuta, this is Jae Hyun, also known to the public as ‘Captain J’,” Johnny introduced the younger. Yuta nodded, recognizing the name of the superhero. “And Jae Hyun, this is Yuta, another human with very much potential to become a superhero just like you.”

Jae Hyun smiled at Yuta who looked uncertain with Johnny’s words. “Nice to meet you,” Yuta said with a slight smile. “But I don’t think I have much potential to be a superhero.”

“Nonsense,” Johnny said, walking over to the one person couch and sitting down while Jae Hyun sat on the one on the opposite side. “Yuta has great potential. He just needs to learn how to control himself.”

Yuta sighed, sliding up the sleeves of his jacket to look at the metal bracelets around his wrists. He still hadn’t even taken them off, and he was quite dreading the moment he would have to. He didn’t think he could ever be ready to unleash such powers.

“Is Yuta going to join the group?” Jae Hyun asked curiously, looking from Yuta to Johnny and then back again.

“Eventually, when he is comfortable with his powers,” Johnny looked over at Yuta, “That is the plan.”

Yuta frowned. It wasn’t the first time they had mentioned this superhero group, but he just wasn’t used to the idea. He really didn’t think he could ever be comfortable with such destructive powers, and then thinking about using them out in the city sounded like a nightmare. Like one of his visions. Though he hadn’t had any of those since he put the bracelets on.

“Do you have any other recruitment in mind,” Yuta asked, changing the subject from himself.

“Yes,” Johnny nodded, tapping something in his tablet before he set it down on the coffee table and a sort of hologram screen flashed out. “These two kids we met before: Hae Chan and Mark,” He said as he flicked his wrist and a hologram of two different profiles came on. The one on the left, showing the profile of Mark. He smiled in his picture while there was a series of information shown next to his face, including his date of birth, superpowers, hero name, and many other things. Next to his profile, was Hae Chan’s, showing a picture where he was frowning and the same information that appeared on Mark’s.

“We know these two are working with others and calling themselves ‘The Dream Team’, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to dig up much information on them. My guess if they’re working underground and have someone on their side that is good with computers,” Johnny explained with a series of hand movements as more pictures of Hae Chan and Mark appeared. Some of them during their fight scene with Doctor Death, and some other shady ones of them walking down the streets of Seoul.

“Either way,” Johnny continued, “I don’t think we need them right away. They’re young and immature- mostly Hae Chan- and lose control of their powers easily. Though I do think we should get them in training as soon as possible because they have a lot of potential.”

Johnny flicked his wrist again and another holographic profile came up. This time there was an image of Jae Hyun himself, in his new suit, from his latest fight with Doctor Death. “Of course, we have our first defender, Captain J.” He flicked his wrist, and another profile came up. Tae Yong. “And then we have you,” He said, looking over at the guy in the red hood. “Soon you will join Captain J as TY.”

Tae Yong nodded with his eyes closed. “My training is far enough.”

“And then I will,” Johnny spoke as the next profile, himself, came on. And then he flicked his wrist again and there was Yuta, staring at himself. “And when you’re ready, your time will come.”

Yuta looked down, not able to stand the attention on himself. As if Johnny and Tae Yong could sense that, they exchanged a look before clearing their throats. “And that leads me to something else,” Johnny said as he stood up and looked at everyone. “Follow me.”

Everyone stood up and followed Johnny downstairs to a part of the building where neither Jae Hyun nor Yuta had been to before. It was dark and they couldn’t see anything until Johnny clapped his hands, and one by one, all the lights turned on.

The place was wide and spacious, filled with a series of stations, all with many different sorts of compartments and fighting equipment and-

“A training area,” Jae Hyun said in awe as he took a few steps forward and scanned the entire place.

“Yup,” Johnny nodded, a smile on his face as he turned to face them.

“Since Yuta is living here now but only moping around, and Jae Hyun has just agreed to move in because he’s tired of his small student room, and Tae Yong only cleans and plays video games, I think it is time for this room to come out,” Johnny said, clasping his hands excitedly before he spread his arms wide. “Welcome to the 127 training room, future members of 127!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so hard to write and probably harder to edit. There's a lot of progression in the plot and next chapter introduces a new character. But anyways I really hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. -J
> 
> *cough* *cough*
> 
> I'm sick.  
> ~Nae
> 
> (Nae told me to post that mean girls reference because she is currently in bed sick with a fever and can barely look at a screen without feeling like her eyes are bleeding.)


	9. The Mailman and the Entrepreneur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Sh*tty powers! What’s the point if I end up having to move?! I did not go to nursing school for th-” The man that was shouting curses just a minute ago was now dead silent, noticing the presence of Johnny.

“What do you mean 127 is a weird name?” Johnny huffed. “It’s the coordinates of Seoul, and this team is supposed to be the defender of the city! It makes perfect sense!”

Yuta scratched his head, looking to the side as he tried to avoid Johnny’s eyes. Tae Yong remained focused on his 3DS, paying little attention to the tall guy who stood above them, and continued watering his plants in Animal Crossing. And Jae Hyun sighed, flipping through the channels on the television mindlessly.

“Are you still on about this?” Tae Yong spoke up, barely drawing his attention away from his game. “I thought we told you already, we’re okay with the name either way.”

“Yeah, but that’s _the thing_ ,” Johnny said as he took a seat. With the emphasis he was putting into every syllable, they could all tell what they were about to hear for the fifth time in the last two days. “You’re just ‘okay’ with it! You should think it’s genius!”

“Would you look at the time, I should head to class now,” Yuta said, getting up and grabbing his bag.

“It’s Saturday.” Johnny deadpanned, watching the guy head out.

“Yeah, I should go train downstairs,” Jae Hyun said, turning off the tv and heading down.

“With your phone?” Johnny asked, watching the guy disappear when he walked down the stairs.

“I would come up with an excuse, but it wouldn’t be believable,” Tae Yong said, standing up while still holding on to his 3DS and walking away, not once looking away from the screen.

Johnny sighed, looking around the empty room. Maybe he needed to take a day off.

And that's how Johnny ended up sitting outside a small coffee shop at eleven a.m. on a Saturday morning, taking small sips from his ice americano as he looked around the small and peaceful neighborhood he had found himself in.

“This is nice,” Johnny mumbled with a pleased sigh before taking another sip and closing his eyes, taking in the warm summer breeze.

He gently set down the cup and glanced to his side , taking in the sight; The cars driving by here and there, the kids crossing the street, the couples walking down the sidewalk, and the mailman using telekinesis to place the mail in the mailboxes- Wait. Johnny did a double-take, not believing what he was seeing. But it was clear as day. The mailman was sitting right there, in his mail truck, his hand barely extended as if he was trying to push the floating letters into the open mailbox. And he extended his hand a bit further and finally some went in.

Johnny sat there with a blank expression on his face as he continued to stare at the mailman who used telekinesis in broad daylight and out in the open. Many questions flooded his head but they eventually stopped when he heard a grunt come from the truck. He abruptly got up from the small table and cautiously walked over to the shady truck. The man there was crying over his scraped knee, preventing him he from noticing Johnny.

“Sh*tty powers! What’s the point if I end up having to move?! I did not go to nursing school for th-” The man that was shouting curses just a minute ago was now dead silent, noticing the presence of Johnny.

“Here,” Johnny said, taking a handkerchief out from his pocket and handing it to the bleeding man.

“T-thank you.” The man mumbled with flustered cheeks and covered his small wound. “Did you see that?” He asked, obviously referring to his telekinesis powers.

“Do you still have work to do?” Johnny asked the smaller male, ignoring the question. The short man looked past Johnny and at the mess he had created while trying to stay in his truck. “I assume you do,” Johnny said after seeing what the other had his eyes on. “Allow me to help...” Johnny slightly tilted his head as a hint for the other to introduce himself.

“T-Taeil, Moon Taeil.” Well, Taeil couldn’t be anymore embarrassed than he already was but wait.

“Let’s talk,” Johnny said and picked up every single envelope Taeil had failed to get in their respective places, which totaled up to seventeen. Johnny walked back to the man and handed them to him. Taeil hesitantly took them. He glanced at the other’s face. He wasn’t bad looking which made things worse. “Thank you,” he mumbled and placed them in his satchel.

“You’re not going to try again?” Johnny asked, leaning on the truck.

“No, what’s the point?” Taeil responded and placed his satchel in the truck.

“You sound pessimistic,” Johnny thought out loud.

“And you sound nosy.” Taeil rolled his eyes and climbed into his truck.

“Aren’t you going to finish your job?” Johnny asked.

“I will, when you leave!” He slammed the door shut and drove away, leaving Johnny stumbling. Johnny had a smirk on his face as he walked back to the small table.

Taeil stopped at the red light with a heavy sigh. He checked his satchel for the letters and surely enough they were al- Wait-

“Seo Enterprises? Taeil asked, staring at the laminated card in his hand. “That flirty bastard.”

 

* * *

 

Tae Il groaned, walking into his shared apartment and throwing himself onto the couch face down.

“What happened now?” Do Young, his roommate, asked without even glancing up from the monitor as he continued typing at the kitchen table. “Did your telekinesis powers fail you again, forcing you to get out of the car and walk up to the mailboxes? Because that is truly tragic.” He was monotone.

Tae Il shook his head as he sat up on the couch. “Worse. All of that happened, and then I fell out of the truck trying to use up my powers and scraped my knee and. . . A cute guy saw.”

Tae Il was now staring at the wall blankly, and Do Young could only roll his eyes. “You really do have the worst luck, huh?”

“Yeah. But you know what's funny?” The older asked as he turned around. “He left his card in my satchel.”

Do You raised an eyebrow, amused at the new piece of information. “Why would he do that?”

“Obviously he found my quirky charms cute.” Tae Il bragged, making Do Young roll his eyes. “He is such a flirt. Should I call him now, or should I follow the two day rule?”

Do Young looked up from his laptop once again, giving Tae Il another judging look. “Are you sure he was flirting with you?”

Tae Il sat up, a blank look on his face as he glanced down at the card. A look of realization hit his face and he turned to Do Young with panicked eyes. “Oh no,” He mumbled, making his roommate sigh and ask what was wrong. “I think he saw me use my powers. I didn’t really think about it because it all happened so fast and afterwards I was thinking about how he tried flirting with me, but-”

“Tae Il,” Do Young groaned, tossing his head back as his hands went up to his face. “You know how important it is to keep ourselves undercover.”

“I know!” Tae Il defended, tossing his arms up in the air. “I know, but I got distracted. I’m going to call him.”

And then he whipped out his phone, dialing the number. The two waited patiently, hearing the ring four times before a low, “Hello?”

Tae Il almost threw the phone, not really expecting the other to answer. He cleared his throat and answered. “Hello? Uh, I’m the mailman from earlier.”

“Oh, yeah! I honestly didn’t think you would call so quick,” The other answered. “I also don’t think I introduced myself earlier. I’m Johnny Seo.”

 _‘Johnny Seo?’_ Do Young mouthed, recognizing the name before he began typing into his laptop. He quickly turned the screen so Tae Il could see it, showing a very nice picture of the guy he had met earlier in a fancy suit at some press conference.

“You’re the rich owner of Seo Enterprises?” Tae Il asked as he scanned the screen. “Fancy. So, why are you talking to a low government worker like me?”

“Well, earlier when I was sitting outside the coffee shop, enjoying my day of peace, I saw the strangest thing ever,” Johnny spoke, leading up to what Tae Il was dreading.

“So you did see, huh?” Tae Il asked, shutting his eyes tight.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you have very weak telekinesis powers,” Johnny said. Tae Il almost sighed in relief, but the other spoke once more. “If you have a meeting with me.”

“Are you asking me on a date? I’m flattered but-”

“No,” Johnny interrupted the other. “I want to discuss your powers with you.”

Tae Il looked at Do Young who nodded. “Okay. Then in that case I’m free everyday during the afternoon.”

“Good. I’m free this afternoon.”

“Then it’s a date- business meeting.”

 

* * *

 

“Should we stay in the room or would it be better for us to go?” Jae Hyun asked, turning his phone off and setting it down.

Johnny looked up from his seat at his desk, eyes shifting between Tae Yong who was back to playing video games, Yuta who was sleeping on the couch, and Jae Hyun. “Tae Yong always stays during my meetings so he’s good, but maybe you and Yuta should go downstairs for the meantime. You’re a hero with a hidden identity so people seeing you here is risky. Yuta also turned an entire building to ashes the other day. I’ll see how this guy feels and do more background research on him before I decide whether I want you two meeting him or not.”

Jae Hyun nodded just as the doorbell rang. Tae Yong paused his game and Yuta fell down from the couch with a thud, suddenly waking up. Johnny got up from his seat, telling Yuta and Jae Hyun to head downstairs, before opening the door.

“Moon Tae Il, welcome,” Johnny said. He moved to the side so the other could step inside and closed the door behind him.

“Wow, you’re rich,” Tae Il mumbled as he walked down the hall, looking around in awe.

“You should see his camera collection room,” Tae Yong spoke from the office/living room before the two walked in. There they saw him sitting in the swivel chair besides the desk, rolling around with his head tossed back.

“Take a seat,” Johnny said as he gestured at the chair in front of his desk before he walked over to his own chair.

When everyone was situated, Johnny wasted no time and went straight to the point. “You are not the first person with powers that we have come across, you know.”

“Uh,” Tae Il froze, glancing around as he thought about Do Young and what he told him. “I’m not?”

“No.” Johnny shook his head. “Tae Yong,” He paused, gesturing at the other who waved, “And I have our own sort of association with others like you.”

“Like the avengers? Or the x-men?”

“What?”

“Never mind.”

“Anyways, we were wondering if-”

“Wait,” Tae Il interrupted. “Are you trying to recruit me right now? Because if you are, you must know my powers are like next level weak. I can barely even move the mail with my telekinesis powers.”

Johnny and Tae Yong exchanged a look. The one in the red hoodie only shrugged. “Must have been a low hit for his powers to be so weak. Though, with training, they can be improved.”

“Oh see, I don’t like things that involve too much movement like exercise,” Tae Il spoke up at the mention of training.

Johnny snorted. “You can’t be that lazy. We can really help you develop your powers, you know. It comes in handy in the long run.”

Tae Il pursed his lips, giving the idea some thought. He then remembered what Do Young had told him before and shook his head. “I really don’t think I’m interested.”

Johnny’s face dropped. “Really? Please, we have Captain J in our team right and now and we have another in training-”

Tae Il shook his head, thinking he heard wrong. “Wait, did you say Captain J? As in, _The_ Captain J? The one who fights Doctor Death? And gets his ass whooped every time?”

Johnny frowned. “Yes? He doesn’t really get his ass whooped, I mean I don’t think I would say that, but-”

“I’ll join,” Tae Il said with no hesitation, taking the other two by susprise. “So, when do I start?”

 

* * *

 

“So we have been sharing the same living space for a few days already but I still don’t know anything about you besides your name,” Jae Hyun said as he walked over to Yuta who scrolled through his phone while he laid on to top one of the bench presses. Yuta immediately turned off his phone and turned around to face the other when he sat besides him. “And then we’re also probably going to be putting our lives in each others hands in the future, so maybe we should get to know each other.”

“Well,” Yuta hummed, “Let’s start with the basics then. What do you do for a living and what are your superpowers?”

“I am a twenty-two-year-old college student at SMU, majoring in criminology. My superpowers include enhanced agility, super speed, super strength, and enhanced reflexes. Just things of that sort,” Jae Hyun explained. “Oh, and I also have a black belt in Taekwondo.”

Yuta nodded with a smile. “That’s pretty cool. I am also a student, though a grad student actually. I double majored in philosophy and business and now I am studying law. I don’t really know what I want to do, but I’m interning at one of the SM enterprises branches since my dad is a director of the foreign board. Though right now he is in Japan and-” He cut himself off when he realized how much he was saying. “Sorry. I’m ranting.”

Jae Hyun shook his head, a soft smile on his face. “No, it’s fine. I find your academic achievements quite interesting.”

Yuta shrugged, feeling shy all of a sudden. He had a tendency of getting flustered when attention was given to him. “I just like to constantly learn things and educate myself on as much as I can.”

“So, you didn’t tell me your powers.” Jae Hyun said.

Yuta looked down at his metal bracelets. He still hadn’t taken them off and with every passing day, he just grew more and more scared. “I don’t really know what they are. I just know they’re very chaotic and cause a lot of damage. They’re too hard for me to control.”

Jae Hyun tilted his head and Yuta took it as sign of him wanting to know more. “I destroyed an entire building when I first discovered them. I was upset and- it just happened. It was an old, abandoned and empty factory so no one got hurt, but-”

Taking notice of Yuta’s breath getting uneven, Jae Hyun reached out to hold his hand. “It’s okay. When I first discovered my powers I destroyed the entire track field, so you’re not alone,” He reassured.

Yuta looked up at Jae Hyun, a small smile crossing his face. No one had told him they could relate. He didn’t think it was even possible for anyone to relate to his situation. His powers and everything that came with them were so scary and he had no one to talk to about them with Han Sol gone, but looking at Jae Hyun who smiled back at him, maybe he wasn’t alone.

“Do you think we should actually use all this equipment that Johnny set up for us?” Jae Hyun asked, standing up and looking around the room. “He does want us to use this place to train and develop our skills, after all.”

“I mean, it would be a waste not too,” Yuta responded as he also stood up and looked around. “Maybe start with the easy stuff, though,” He said as he glanced at some of the big equipment on the other side of the room. “Like weights and punching dummies.”

Jae Hyun laughed. “Yeah, I don’t want to get myself killed with whatever that thing with the sharp needles is. I don’t think Johnny would like that.”

So Yuta and Jae Hyun spent the rest of their time lifting dumbbells while talking about their favorite sports, running on the treadmills while discussing their favorite music genres and groups, and some light sparring while they talked about relationships. In the end, Yuta learned Jae Hyun’s ears turned red when he was flustered, Jae Hyun learned Yuta had a love for soccer and wanted to play it professionally but decided against it, and they bother learned neither of them had ever been in any real relationship.

“I’ve just always been too busy with school, you know,” Yuta said in between pants as he wiped the sweat off his forehead after their final match.

“Yeah, I get it,” Jae Hyun said, also in between pants. “I mean I’ve received plenty of love notes before, but no one has ever caught my attention enough. Well, the other day I saw this cute guy, but I was running late for class so I couldn’t really talk to him.”

Yuta shook his head, leaning against the wall and sliding down. “School really ruins your love life, huh? I also saw this cute guy the other day but I had to go to class. Maybe if I met someone in one of my classes-” He stopped and frowned, feeling like there was something wrong with that sentence. He couldn’t recognize what it was, but something just felt odd. And the more he thought about it, the more frustrating he found it. He was only able to snap out of it when Jae Hyun tossed him a water bottle and sat down besides him.

“And then this whole superhero thing really has me thinking maybe having no love life is for the best. I mean, you ever watch the spider-man movies? Peter Parker and MJ were constantly having relationship problems because he had to keep his identity a secret and could never be honest with her because he didn’t want to put her in danger,” Jae Hyun ranted before he sighed. “I’m glad my family isn’t in the city. I don’t know how I could lie to them about my life. And if I had a lover that would be worse.”

Yuta nodded in agreement, for once being grateful that his family were so far away from him. Far away from his danger. And then he thought about Han Sol once again, feeling all sorts of emotions building up inside of him. “Yeah,” He mumbled, not really sure what he was going on about. “I’m glad I don’t have a lover.”

 

* * *

 

“A superhero organization?” Do Young asked when Tae Il came back home that night and told him the story. He then scoffed and rolled his eyes. “What babies. They have one supervillain running around the city causing the slightest bit of trouble and decide they need to organize a whole team against him.”

“Yeah, so then I was of course going to reject the offer because of what you have told me but-”

“You joined?” Do Young asked, raising an eyebrow. “Please tell me you didn’t join.”

Tae Il gave a sheepish smile. “Yeah, well, I promise I wasn’t going to at first but, uhm, then they said Captain J was part of the team.”

Do Young spat his coffee, wiping his mouth as he turned to Tae Il with wide eyes. “What?! They recruited Captain J?! _The_ Captain J?!”

“That’s what I said!” Tae Il exclaimed.

Do young leaned back in his seat, an amused smile appearing on his face. “No wonder he got a suit upgrade. And a whole new board that was certainly made for him by the owner of Seo Enterprises himself: Johnny Seo. Interesting. I wonder what Doctor Death is going to do now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nae: Everyone is thinking Doctor Death is Doyoung, should we make him less suspicious?
> 
> Me, groaning: But we already have the entire chapter 9 prepared in drafts. Do we delete it?
> 
> Nae: Hmm... Nah.
> 
> :]


	10. The Vigilante Duo and A New Recruit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Don’t look so surprised,” Hae Chan said, walking over to Mark and tossing him the small radio. “I can work with you if I want to.”
> 
> Mark cocked an eyebrow.
> 
> “Fine, Jeno talked to me earlier and said our fights are getting in the way of our teamwork and that if I don’t work with you he’ll release my dirtiest secrets. Don’t mess with mind readers is all I got from that.” Hae Chan shrugged after his explanation. “So are we going or not?”

“Hello, I am Ren Jun and I will be showing you around- Oh no, it’s you.”

Jeno’s mouth dropped as soon as the other looked up from his clipboard, giving him a clear view of his face and allowing him to recognize him as the boy who made Jae Min lose control because he was so pretty. “You work here?” He asked.

“Are you the intern I’m supposed to show around?” Pretty Boy- Ren Jun asked and sighed when Jeno nodded. “Great, looks like I’m going to be working with you from now on. Follow me.”

Jeno stood up, holding on tight to his own clipboard and I.D. as he followed the other around the first floor while he pointed around randomly and named things in a monotone voice. “So, your name is Ren Jun?”

The small boy stopped walking, turning around to look at him with an annoyed and worn out look. “Yes, are you going to tell your friend?” Jeno didn’t respond. Instead, he followed the other to the elevator and zoned out as he began to talk about the different floors in the building before clicking the 7 button.

“You know, Jae Min is going to get very excited when he hears you work here,” Jeno finally spoke up again when they walked down the halls of the seventh floor. “He really wanted to know your name. And your powers. I don’t think he’s stopped thinking about you for a week already. He hasn’t really said anything out loud but when I tap into his mind from time to time I can really hear-”

Ren Jun sighed, turning around to look at Jeno. He had an expression that let the other know he wasn’t really in the mood for talking about things that weren’t related to their work. When Jeno to the hint to shut up he turned around and went back to pointing at random rooms while explaining what they were for.

Until Jeno spoke up again.

“Wouldn’t you like to join our team, though? Being alone with superpowers must be lonely-” Jeno was cut off when Ren Jun stopped walking and turned to look at him once again. Boy, was he small but intimidating.

“I’m not lonely. I’ve dealt with my abilities alone this far, I can continue to do so.”

And Jeno decided not to pry anymore. At least not for that day. It was only his first day on the job, after all, and he didn’t want to get on anyone’s bad side. But he for sure told the others when he entered the shack-like room later on that day.

And as expected, he could hear millions of thoughts running through Jae Min’s head as soon as he heard the news.

“Pretty Boy works at your place of internship?” Hae Chan asked with a frown. He was currently sitting on one of the chairs at the far back of the room, his arms and legs crossed. “And his name is Ren Jun? What does he even do? Did you find out his powers?”

Jeno shook his head. “He wouldn’t let me ask questions. Well, he wouldn’t answer any of them, at least. All I was able to get was his name.”

“Ren Jun, huh?” Ji Sung said as he spun around in his chair, facing his computer. “What was his last name?”

“Huang? I think that’s what his name tag said,” Jeno shrugged as he sat down besides Jae Min who had remained silent the entire time. While Ji Sung began typing a series of things into his computer, hacking into who knows what this time, Jeno began to tap into Jae Min’s mind.

_If pretty boy- Ren Jun- works where Jeno interns then maybe this allows us a bigger insight into him. I mean, I could swing by there during their break time and try to talk to him. I have to figure out his powers no matter what, even if I have to continuously pester him. Though Jeno says he’s intimidating. But he’s kind of small. It’s cute. I don’t think he’s intimidating- he’s pretty cute and- Jeno get out of my mind!_

Jae Min turned to look at Jeno, a pout on his face. “Did you really have to hear all of that?”

“It was amusing,” Jeno shrugged.

“Guys,” Ji Sung said, leaning in forward to the monitor, getting into his deep researcher mode. “I can’t find anything about him. It’s like he doesn’t exist. All I am able to see here is him being a worker at your internship workplace and him being the same age as you three and- That’s it. It’s like besides who he is at work, he doesn’t exist. There is nothing I can find about where he went to school, who his family is- nothing.”

Mark who had been sitting at the side silently stood up with a frown. “That’s not possible,” he mumbled, looking over Ji Sung’s research. “Maybe you didn’t do enough research?”

“Having to do further research would mean I’d have to hack into whatever is protecting his background information. And that means, something-some _one_  is protecting him,” Ji Sung explained as he turned to look at his different monitors.

“Does that mean he doesn’t exist?” Chenle asked from besides Ji Sung.

“I really don’t think that’s what Ji Sung means,” Hae Chan spoke with a shake of his head.

“Maybe it’s because of his powers,” Jae Min spoke up. He looked around the room, glancing at everyone. “When we all joined this team we handed everything over to Ji Sung so he could protect us. Our phones, our computers, our whole identities. Just so that in case anyone ever tries to find us they won’t be able to. What if it’s the same for him?”

“Well,” Ji Sung said, going to back to his keyboard. “If it is then he is either very smart, or he has someone else with him.”

 

* * *

 

Mark’s eyes snapped opened. He tossed and turned after and tried to go back to sleep. But he couldn’t. He wasn’t even sure what he had dreamed of that had made him wake up, but he was sure it had something to do with the instincts he was getting. So, knowing he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, he stood up and changed into a pair of jeans and his hoodie before heading out.

This time, Mark was able to confidently use his webs to swing through the buildings until he reached Ji Sung’s dad’s shop. Knowing the front entrance would be locked with the security on, he walked over to the back and took his set of keys and unlocked the door, trying to be as quiet as possible when he walked in.

 _Ji Sung would get mad if he knew I was messing with his equipment_ , Mark thought to himself as he walked over to the front of the room where all of Ji Sung’s technology equipment laid. But knowing that, he began to look through anyway, searching for one item in particular.

And then his senses tingled. He shivered.

“Hae Chan,” He whispered (without even having to look because somehow his super senses had adapted to the other) as he turned around to look at the boy who stood right under the light, leaning against the wall.

“Looking for this?” The boy asked, holding up the radio that Mark had been looking for.

Mark sighed, eyes closing as he ran a hand through his hair. “How-?”

“I thought you stopped doing this a long time ago,” Hae Chan didn’t allow the other to question. Instead he began to inspect the object. “I thought you stopped _years_ ago.”

“How do you even know?” Mark asked, knowing exactly what he was talking about. “I stopped long before you joined the team, and if I remember correctly we weren’t exactly best buds in high school.”

“How I know doesn’t matter,” Hae Chan said, ignoring the other’s questioning once again. “What matters is that I want to join you.”

Mark’s eyebrows raised in surprise. Did he hear the younger boy right? He wanted to join him? He wasn’t going to mess around with him about it? Or snitch on him? He actually wanted to work together with him?

“Don’t look so surprised,” Hae Chan said, walking over to Mark and tossing him the small radio. “I can work with you if I want to.”

Mark cocked an eyebrow.

“Fine, Jeno talked to me earlier and said our fights are getting in the way of our teamwork and that if I don’t work with you he’ll release my dirtiest secrets. Don’t mess with mind readers is all I got from that.” Hae Chan shrugged after his explanation. “So are we going or not?”

Mark sighed, knowing there was no way he could get out of this one. And he also knew they needed to work on their dynamic and what better way than to do that than some practice stakeout? So he turned on the radio and began to flip through the channels until he finally tapped into the one he wanted: The police radio-line.

“So this is how you do it?” Hae Chan asked as he took a seat besides Mark on the couch. “You just listen to the radio and wait for incoming crime reports?”

“Basically,” Mark responded. He waited for Hae Chan to come up with some snarky comment on how sad his life was or how boring it was. But he surprised him by remaining quiet and leaning in closer instead to get a better hearing of what was said in the radio. And the two remained quiet like that for a moment, sitting close, but not too close, and listening to nothing but their soft breathing and the static from the radio.

It felt like an eternity to Mark when it was really only two minutes. He knew because he watched the old clock that hung on the wall closely. Each tick ringing through his ears. He really couldn’t recall the last time he had found himself alone with Hae Chan. Or the last time the boy had remained quiet for this long. It was nice, but he couldn’t lie, there was something about it that was bothering him.

“So,” Mark spoke up, making the other look up at him instantly. He didn't know why he had spoken up now that he had the other's attention. So he just spoke what came to mind. “Why are you so against me? Why do you always pick on me specifically?”

Hae Chan stared at him blankly and Mark watched closely, trying to decipher the look on his face. It didn't seem like he was about to tease him. It was a look Mark had never seen on the boys face before. Like he was in deep thought. Debating. Calculating. Hesitating.

“Incoming. We have reports of a break in at-”

Mark and Hae Chan’s eyes flickered down before they looked back at each other. Without having to say anything, the two stood up, pulling up their ‘Dream Team’ hoods up, grabbing their masks, and Hae Chan swinging his bow and arrow over his shoulder.

“How do you want to get there? Web swing? I can teleport there but you would have to get there first,” Hae Chan began to say as they walked down the dark and empty streets. And without having to be told again, Mark raised a hand, a web shooting out instantly and pulling him up before he swung away.

Mark didn’t really understand why he had to get to the place before Hae Chan for him to be able to teleport there but he didn’t waste anytime. He also didn’t understand how the younger’s powers worked and didn’t want to question them either. So he swung through the buildings, feeling the cool air on his face. It didn’t last long though since the area of destination wasn’t very far and as soon as he landed on one of the roofs overlooking the scene, Hae Chan flashed in right besides him.

“So what are we doing?” Hae Chan asked, taking sight of the scene in front of them. Right below them there was a jewelry shop with a huge broken window at the front. From the angle they were at they could see someone standing outside as guard in a black mask, while someone inside was raiding the shop. “Should we divide and conquer?”

“Okay, here’s the plan,” Mark started, “If I can distract that big guy outside-”

“They have guns,” Hae Chan interrupted, his sharp and enhanced vision focusing on the the small compartment at the guy’s waist.

“What?” Mark asked, turning around to see what Hae Chan was looking at. “But they’re illegal, how did they get hold of such weapons?”

“Doesn’t matter, our job is to stop them,” Hae Chan said. “I’ll distract him and take the gun away, you just make sure the other guy doesn’t make a run for it with the stolen goods.”

Mark opened his mouth to say something, but before he could the younger had already disappeared in a flash and reappeared behind the big guy standing guard. And before Mark could sigh or curse the other for being so reckless, he had already begun to fight him.

“Guess that’s my cue,” Mark mumbled to himself before swinging down and landing next to Hae Chan. Immediately the two began to fight, Hae Chan teleporting around so the guy wouldn’t shoot him while Mark shot webs at the guy who had been stuffing all of the jewelry into a bag.

But after a while, it was beginning to seem like the two had gone at it all wrong when Mark was having a hard time dealing with the thief, and Hae Chan was getting tired of dodging the big guy’s attacks.

“Want to switch guys?!” Mark yelled as he clung on to the wall, barely dodging the attack from the other.

“You read my mind!” Hae Chan called out, immediately teleporting out of sight before reappearing behind the guy Mark had been fighting and sending him flying with a kick. Mark whistled at the sight before he turned to the big guy and used his webs to pull the gun away from him. He then proceeded to move forward and throw attacks at him, gracefully dodging every attack before he was able to wrap him up in his webs. At the same time Hae Chan kicked the other guy in his direction, a sign for him to also web him up.

“We did it,” Mark breathed out, looking over the two webbed guys in disbelief.

“Heck yeah we did!” Hae Chan exclaimed excitedly as he reappeared at his side, swinging an arm around his shoulder.

Before the two could have any more moments of celebration, they heard sirens off in the distance and turned to look each other with a knowing glance. Without any words said, Mark used his webs to pull himself out of there and back to the rooftop where they had originally been, and Hae Chan followed seconds after, teleporting to his side, just as the police cars pulled up at the scene.

“Come on, let’s get out of here- What are you doing?” Mark watched as Hae Chan pulled back an arrow, eyes going into focus before he let go and the arrow swiftly landed besides the head of one of the guys.

“Just leaving behind a trace of us,” Hae Chan responded as he swung his bow back and walked over to the older. “I thought it would be cool if we left some signature mark like in the superhero movies.”

“What did you sign it?” Mark asked.

“From your friendly neighborhood _Spider M_ , and the hot and young, _Full Sun_.”

 

* * *

 

“So are Spider M and Full Sun the new superhero duo, fighting against supervillains like Captain J? Or a more undercover vigilante team fighting against crime? Whatever they are, I am Jung W-”

The monitor went dark and everyone in the room turned to look at Hae Chan and Mark who sat at the far back, sheepish grins on their faces.

“Since when do you two work well together?” Jeno was the first to speak up.

“Why were you out fighting crime at three in the morning?” Jae Min was the second to speak up.

Hae Chan and Mark exchanged a look. They then turned back to the others and shrugged.

“Doesn’t matter,” Hae Chan responded, walking over to the center of the room. “Because we found something last night.” And then he disappeared before reappearing seconds later, a gun in his hand. Everyone gasped at the sight of the weapon. “They had these.”

“You brought one?!” Mark questioned rather loudly. “Why?!”

“I thought it would be best to examine!” Hae Chan defended. “Besides, that’s not what matters. After the events of last night I went home and began to research and while guns aren’t completely illegal here, the only ones allowed are for hunting and sporting and must be stored at police stations. Also, this is no hunting gun.”

“Then what is it?” Chenle piped up from his seat besides Ji Sung where he watched the gun closely.

“I’m not very sure,” Hae Chan responded with a sigh. “It is as if this gun doesn’t exist anywhere in the world. All I could find was the logo here, but I couldn’t match it to anything.”

Ji Sung got up and walked over to Hae Chan, taking the gun into his own hands.

“Careful there, poop hands,” Jae Min said half-joking and half-dead-serious.

Ji Sung turned the weapon around in his hands, observing it carefully. He stared at the logo, a frown on his face. “I feel like I’ve seen this logo somewhere before.”

“Yeah, well you would probably have better luck finding it,” Hae Chan said. “I couldn’t find anything at all.”

Ji Sung took out his phone, taking many pictures of the gun from many different angles before handing it back to Hae Chan. “Put it somewhere safe. We can’t have that lying around here.”

Hae Chan nodded and teleported out before flashing back in. The gun was no longer in sight and Ji Sung was already back at his seat, typing away.

“Jeno, you have work today, right?” Ji Sung asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“Mark, Hae Chan,” Ji Sung called out to the two, “Let’s put your newly found teamwork to test.”

And that was how Mark found himself crawling through some vents while Hae Chan teleported around the building, following the instructions Jeno was giving him so he knew where to jump around to not get caught while Ji Sung observed everything from their little room.

“The new equipment I got from my guy in Russia should work better this time,” Ji Sung’s voice came in through the headpiece. “Also, now we have Jeno as an in.”

“Okay Jeno, I made it on to the eighth floor, where to now?” Hae Chan asked as he walked through the hallway, occasionally teleporting to another corner when someone passed by.

“There’s a room on the twelfth floor that Ren Jun wouldn’t give any info on,” Jeno spoke. He fixed his glasses and pretended to focus on some random work on his laptop, sitting at the far back of the cafeteria on the fifth floor. “And then I have no idea what any of the top floors are. When I asked about them Ren Jun said they were top secret and classified and that only the higher-ups got to work there.”

“What higher-ups?” Mark asked, still crawling around the vents.

“I don’t know, he was very secretive,” Jeno responded.

“Okay, I made it on to the twelfth floor,” Hae Chan’s voice came in once again. At this point he was walking down the hall, eyes scanning his entire surroundings, his vision not missing a single detail. “I don’t see any room that- wait, is it the one at the far end with the big black doors?”

“That’s the one,” Jeno responded with a nod, as if anyone could actually see him.

“Mark, if you keep going up forward you’ll find a way up to the top floors that Jeno was talking about,” Ji Sung’s voice came through.

“Got it,” Mark responded.

Everyone remained silent after that. Mark was busy making his way through the vents, thankful that his powers allowed him to move with ease. Jeno was still pretending to focus on some work. Ji Sung was watching everything with all his separate monitors. And then Hae Chan was trying to figure out a way to sneak into the room with the big black doors. He could just open them and walk in, but the chances of there being someone behind the closed doors were high and there was no way he could predict when the room would empty out. So he just stood there, thinking.

“Hae Chan,” Mark’s voice came through right at that moment, “I think I’m above the room you’re trying to get into.”

“You are?” Hae Chan asked, sounding a little more excited than he intended.

“Yeah, hold on.” There was a bunch of shuffling heard before Mark’s voice came through once again. “Okay, it looks like some sort of security room? Not like a room with a bunch of monitors reflecting on what’s going on around the building, but like, what Ji Sung has back in the room. The many monitors and file cabinet thingies.”

“It must be the data center facility,” Ji Sung mumbled. “Hae Chan, Mark, you need to find a way inside that room. That’s the room we have been trying to get into this whole time.”

“Got it,” Hae Chan responded. “Mark, is it safe to go in?”

“No, there’s three guys inside.”

“Then what do I do?”

“Wait.”

“Huh?” Hae Chan was ready to question what Mark meant by that, but before he could he heard some loud clatters coming from inside the room. Some loud shuffling. And then a click. And then the door opened up, revealing Mark with his hood down and ruffled hair.

“Did you just. . .?” Hae Chan peered inside, seeing three bodies knocked out inside. “I’m impressed, Mark Lee,” He said rather blankly.

Mark rolled his eyes and closed the doors when the younger walked in. “We need to hurry and look around.”

“But what are we looking for? I don’t understanding anything in here. It’s just a bunch of technical things and stuff,” Hae Chan said as he made his way over the bodies, careful not to step on any.

“I’ll tell you two what I’m looking for,” Ji Sung’s voice came through, “I just need you guys to focus your cameras on everything you see.”

Without having to be told again, Mark and Hae Chan began to work. The two split up and began to look around, hoping Ji Sung could see what they needed. It really would have helped if they knew what they were looking for and weren’t just relying on the tiny cameras in their masks that a seventeen-year-old had implanted in.

“Ji Sung, are you seeing anything? I don’t think we have much time left.” Hae Chan sighed in desperation as he kept walking around.

“Wait, go back!” Ji Sung practically yelled. “That! Yes, right there!”

Mark walked over to where Hae Chan was and the two got closer the what Ji Sung pointed out. “What is this?”

“That’s our way in,” Ji Sung spoke. “Mark, get the flash drive I gave you and place it in.”

Mark glanced at Hae Chan who only shrugged. He dug into his pocket, pulling out the stick the younger had given him earlier, and taking a step forward. He placed it in and heard Ji Sung yell in excitement through the earpiece. “We have an in!”

But that happiness didn’t last for much longer. The door swung open from the other side of the room and the two vigilantes turned to look at each other wide-eyed.

“Wait, you can’t pull it out yet, I’m only 13% in,” Ji Sung’s voice came through.

“We can’t get caught, we’ll come back another time,” Hae Chan said, quickly pulling out the flash drive as he heard the footsteps coming in close.

“Guys, what’s going on?” Jeno’s voice came through. But no response was given, for if the two spoke they would surely get caught.

Worrying that something wrong might have happened, Jeno began to gather his things and stand up, and-

“Hey, Jeno.” His eyes shifted up, landing on the short boy who was headed his way. “Ren Jun.”

“Are you going somewhere?” Ren Jun asked, watching how Jeno began to shift around uncomfortably, as if he desperately needed to be somewhere.

Jeno shook his head instantly, sitting back down. “No, I- uh- no.”

Ren Jun gave him a suspicious look, but didn’t question any further. Instead he sat down across from Jeno, preventing the other from being able to go and help his friends. He just hoped they could be good on their own.

Meanwhile, the other two were panicking.

Mark and Hae Chan took a few steps back, trying to remain as quiet as possible until they were crouching down besides the wall, barely hidden by the generators. But the footsteps were still approaching. Hae Chan shifted back more, bumping into Mark who was right behind him. He turned his head, eyes instantly locking with the olders'.

Mark flinched, moving back in reflex from the close proximity, bumping in the wall behind him instead. He winced in pain and his hand went up to the back of his head.

 _‘Are you okay?’_ Hae Chan mouthed and he nodded. The younger then proceeded to make some hand gestures while mouthing something about teleporting and webs and distraction. Mark didn’t really understand what he was getting at, but he also didn’t want to stay in that little corner with Hae Chan pressed up against him.

And then the footsteps were coming for them, only a couple of feet apart. And Hae Chan vanished. Mark was about to get offended that he left him all alone, when when heard some cluttering from the other side of the room, most certainly the younger boy making some sort of distraction. And then the footsteps disappeared and he took the opportunity to jump up to the ceiling, crawling his way back into the vent.

“Okay, I’m out,” Mark said when he crawled away.

“Me too,” Hae Chan responded.

“You two scared me for a moment,” Jeno sighed. “I was going to go help you two out but then Ren Jun came in to talk to me about some work.”

“It’s fine,” Hae Chan said, “ I just need you to tell me what the closest exit is.”

“I’ll come find you at the staircase,” Jeno said and began to head towards the stairs, unaware of the eyes that watched him walk away.

Eventually Jeno was able to help Hae Chan and Mark leave, walking back to their little room with them since his shift was over. And when they made their way back they all celebrated the accomplishments of that day.

“We finally did something right!” Hae Chan exclaimed as he tossed himself on to the couch. “I think I deserve a nap.”

“You two made a pretty good team, you know,” Jae Min spoke up before he took a sip of his monster coffee. “It was quite interesting to watch.”

“You watched too?” Hae Chan questioned, sitting up.

“Yeah, we all did,” Chenle replied.

“Well,” Hae Chan mumbled, slowly sliding back down on the couch. “That’s embarrassing. . .”

“We do make a pretty good duo, huh?” Mark thought out loud.

“Don’t flatter yourself, I still think I carried the team.”

“Whatever, Hyuck,” Mark said with a roll of his eyes. “I’ve grown on you.”

A small smile appeared on the younger’s face, hearing his nickname for the first time in a while. His eyes closed, the smile still evident on his face and-

“Oh my gosh,” Jeno gasped, “Hae Chan you-”

“Get out of my head, Jeno!”

And then Jae Min jumped in. “I can feel it! Ew!”  


* * *

 

Inside a dimly lit room, barely illuminated by the light that peeked in through the shut curtains behind the man at the desk; The man put his hands together, leaning back in his seat. “You know they were trying to sneak in today, right?”

“Yes, sir,” A smaller voice responded from the shadows of the dark side of the room.

“It’s not the first time. And it probably won’t be the last,” The low voice from the man responded. He then hummed. It was scary. “You know what you have to do?”

“Of course, sir,” the smaller voice responded once again.

“Good. Make sure to stop them at all costs.”

“Certainly. Sir.”

 

 

* * *

 

“Are you sure I can’t walk you inside?” Jae Min pouted, holding Jeno’s hand in his own, not wanting to let go.

“Yeah, Jae Min,” Jeno responded, trying to pull his hand away from the taller boy. “It’s embarrassing having your best friend walk you to your internship workplace.”

“Is it a crime if I just want to make sure you’re okay?” Jae Min began to sulk as they walked up to the main entrance. “I just-”

Jeno looked up at the boy, noticing his sudden silence. It wasn’t like Jae Min to just shut up, so when he saw he was staring off into the distance he looked over and- _Oh._

“Hello, I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself,” The shorter spoke up as he approached them, an oddly placed smile on his face. “I’m Huang Ren Jun.” And he extended a hand out, waiting for Jae Min to take it.

Jeno’s eyebrows raised, taken back by the sudden kindness of the boy. He looked over at Jae Min who seemed completely starstruck.

“Uh, hi,” Jae Min responded, finally getting back to his senses. He looked down at the other’s hand, carefully calculating.

But Ren Jun took his hand away, clasping it in his other as he let out a nervous chuckle. “I, uh, it’s probably best if we don’t touch.”

“Why?” Jeno asked before Jae Min had the chance.

Ignoring his question, Ren Jun turned to him with a smile and asked, “Do you remember when you said I could join your team? I think I’m ready to accept that offer.”

Jae Min almost fell down to his knees and Jeno was far more taken back. He hadn't know the guy long, but he was so sure he was the type to never go back on his word.

“Really? Why?” Jae Min asked, sounding a little too surprised.

“I- well, I said I was used to being alone,” Ren Jun said, looking too uncomfortable to actually be Ren Jun. “But I think I should stray away from that idea now. Especially since my powers are opposite to yours and have been acting up since that day we met at the park.”

“So you do admit it was you at the park- huh?” Jae Min stopped himself, processing what the other had said. “Your powers are what?”

“Apathy,” Ren Jun spoke. “The power to conceal emotion.”

And then it all made sense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nae and I only have one chapter left in our drafts and we are lowkey freaking out over that. -J  
> 


	11. Vol. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hello my name is Ten, welcome to Baskin Robbins.”
> 
> Yes. He had actually listened to the kids and gotten a minimum wage paying job to support his dying family. No, that wasn’t the actual reason he was working, but it might as well have been.

Ten could feel the eyes on him, observing his expressions, watching his every moves, trying to read his mood. But he remained stone faced, eyes focused on the book he was reading. “Whatever you kids want, no.”

Yangyang, Hendery, and Xiao Jun all sighed, leaning back away from him and settling down on the carpet.

“You didn't even let us speak,” Yang Yang huffed.

The three boys had just come back home after an afternoon in the human world and Ten certainly didn't want any part in that. Last time they had tried to indulge him in those human practices he had gotten the most horrendous haircut and refused to leave the house for a whole month. Actually, he never really left the place. But he had an excuse that time.

“Ten, let the boys speak,” Kun said as he walked into the living room with a tray of snacks, “They have something important to say.”

Ten groaned, placing down his book. He looked at the younger boys, signaling for them to go on about what they wanted to.

The three youngers all exchanged some glances before they turned to Ten, and Xiao Jun spoke up. “We think someone should get a job.”

Ten raised an eyebrow. He stared at the three boys as if he didn't understand what they were getting at. It wasn't until Si Cheng started laughing in the background that he understood. “You think I should get a job? What’s wrong with the money I give you?”

The three kids exchanged a look once again. This time Hendery spoke up, seeming more sheepish than the other two. “W-well, I don’t think it's very legal to use the scraps of paper that you keep manipulating to look like real money. I was at the library doing some reading and according to the laws of this planet, we are what they call ‘broke’.”

Yang Yang and Xiao Jun nodded along, slight pouts on their faces.

“Hendery, you too?” Ten asked, almost offended that his favorite of the three had betrayed him like this. The younger avoided eye contact, a slight blush growing on his face. Ten leaned back, seeming to think about the whole situation before he shook his head. “If it really is that important can’t someone else work? Winwin?”

“I’m a university student,” Si Cheng spoke up in a monotone voice, not even looking their way.

“You dropped out after Yuta’s incident,” Ten deadpanned.

“I’m going back during the fall.” Winwin still didn’t look up.

Ten turned to Lucas who was entertained by some drama on the television and shook his head. He then turned to Kun. “What about you?”

“I keep this house running, do you really want me to be gone and working all day?” Kun asked.

Ten shook his head and turned to the three who were still staring up at him. “If you three want money why don’t you guys just work for it?”

“We’re going to attend school when summer is over,” Yang Yang spoke up, almost excitedly, “Kun is enrolling us."

Ten looked over at Kun with an expression none of them could read. Si Cheng finally turned over, settling his phone down. And when Kun and Ten walked over to the kitchen, he followed along, understanding this called for a meeting between the three oldest.

“You’re going to enroll the kids into school?” Ten asked as soon as they walked into the kitchen with Winwin following behind.

Kun sighed, crossing his arms and leaning against the kitchen table. “We need to start thinking long-term. From how everything is going, it looks like we may be here a while and I don’t want the kids to fall behind in studies even if the human education is different. I know I was their teacher back home, but I can’t keep homeschooling them myself. Also, we’re literally living in an old abandoned building that we were able to hook up to electricity because of the kids knowledge. Maybe you should listen to them.”

Ten shook his head, too stubborn to listen. There was no way on Earth he was ever going to work among those humans.

 

* * *

 

“Hello my name is Ten, welcome to Baskin Robbins.”

Yes. He had actually listened to the kids and gotten a minimum wage paying job to support his dying family. No, that wasn’t the actual reason he was working, but it might as well have been.

But when Xiao Jun, Hendery, and Yang Yang all walked into his workplace his first day with Kun following behind he couldn’t help but groan and ask, “What do dumb, dumber, and dumbest want?”

“The kids wanted to come and support you on your first day,” Kun said with a bright smile. He seemed rather happy that Ten had finally gotten a job. Maybe a little too happy if you asked the younger.

“Great, now get out. We have no money to waste, remember?” Ten deadpanned. “Also, I said to never visit me at work. Why don’t you three go bother Winwin at the coffee shop down the street instead? It is also his first day.”

“Oh yeah that’s our next stop,” Yang Yang said with that radiating smile of his own, “We are actually heading to the library to learn about the different things you can study in college to decide our career paths. Hendery just kept insisting that we stop by to see yo-”

“That’s enough Yang Yang,” Hendery awkwardly said through gritted teeth as he elbowed the youngest.

Ten raised an eyebrow, completely unamused by the conversation. “Okay, well, thanks for the support. Now if you excuse me I think there is a line of customers behind you.”

And with that, Dumber, Dumber, and Dumbest (as Ten liked to call them), all headed out with Kun following behind, and heading down the street where Si Cheng was also having his first day of work at the coffee shop to make money to pay off his student loans. Just like any normal college student human of his age.

 

* * *

 

When Ten got home from work he was tired. He was so tired he didn't know how he managed to get home that night. But when he did, he swung the door wide open and stared at everyone in the room with tired eyes before he shut the door closed and crawled his way over to the couch where Hendery sat.

“Is Si Cheng home yet?” Ten asked, adjusting himself on the couch so he was laying down with his head resting on the youngers lap.

Yang Yang spoke up, not looking away from the video game all the four youngest were playing. “Yeah, he got home hours ago. He's in his room.”

“Lucky,” Ten pouted. “You know, where we come from we don't get do tired so easily and don't require as much sleep as the humans. But it makes sense that humans get so tired and need so much sleep because spending the whole day out there is… exhausting.”

Ten was mumbling, eyes closing as he patted Hendery's knee. The younger boy slipped and made a wrong move, getting himself and Xiao Jun killed in the videogame they were playing.

“Hendery!” The other whined while Lucas and Yang Yang cheered.

“Sorry,” Hendery mumbled. “My hand slipped.”

Just then Kun walked into the living room holding a tray of snacks. He was about to say something before he closed his mouth when he saw Ten resting on the couch. “Is he asleep?”

“Appears so,” Hendery sighed, feeling the older completely unconscious on his lap, “The first time I've seen him sleep since we got here.”

Kun set down the tray at the coffee table before crouching down next Ten. “He hasn't been able to sleep in years because of stress and anxiety. Working as a human must have really tired him out. . . Should we take him to his room?”

“I don't want to wake him,” Hendery said with a shake of his head. “He might not sleep again if he wakes up.”

So they all left Ten resting on Hendery's lap and continued playing video games, watching movies, and being on their phones. It was always like that there.

Si Cheng eventually came into the living room, also surprised that Ten was sleeping, and they all engaged in a conversation about their daily lives in the human world.

“I really like race cars,” Yang Yang spoke up excitedly. “In video games they are so much fun, imagine actually getting to race them around?”

“Isn't that just like space racing back in our galaxy?” Lucas asked.

Yang Yang shook his head. “No, back home it's illegal. It is here too, but it can be legal under circumstances. Like competitions.”

“So how are you going to study that?” Si Cheng spoke up, having the most knowledge of the human world since he’d been the most exposed to it.

“I-” Yang Yang's look of excitement dropped as he began to go into deep thought. “I don't know yet.”

“Don’t worry, we can look into it more at the library later,” Kun said with a smile.

“Well I want to be a film director,” Xiao Jun said, staring off into the distance as if he could see a vision while he brought up a camera out of nowhere. “Earth movies are so interesting, back home the only films we have are the everyday people life stories. But here, the plots, the character development; it's all so beautiful! Imagine being the director behind that.”

“You kids sure dream big,” Si Cheng mumbled with a shake of his head. He then turned to Hendery who was running his hands though Ten's hair while staring of into the distance. “What about you?”

Hendery snapped out of whatever he was thinking about and turned to face the group. “Huh? Oh, uh, I don't know. Robotics?”

“Ohhh,” Lucas said impressed. “You were always good with machines back home.”

“Yeah. I would like to make a robot,” Hendery said. “Maybe one who could stop all the bad. But then again, maybe it would stop us.”

Ten shifted around in Hendery's lap until he was facing upwards and his eyes were open, looking up at him. “I would like to be a hero,” Ten spoke softly, “But that's not possible for us, huh?”

“How long have you been awake?” Hendery asked, taking his hand away.

“A while,” Ten spoke as he sat up. “I really only slept a few minutes, but they were nice while they lasted. I see why humans are so obsessed with sleep.”

“Was work really that tiring?” Si Cheng asked. “For me it was okay. Annoying customers, but the atmosphere of a coffee shop is nice.”

“Yeah, well, an ice cream shop definitely does not have that atmosphere. The amount of snotty kids I had to deal with was too many,” Ten said with a shiver. “I can't believe I'm doing this for money.”

“Speaking of money,” Yang Yang said, “we youngers saw an ad on tv for this cool video game thing that lets you experience it like real life! It's called virtual reality or something like that. We really want it.”

Ten's eyes widened, knowing exactly what ad they were talking about and how much the game cost. “No more tv for you four.”

 

* * *

 

“Do any of you ever just think about the fact that we are aliens,” Si Cheng spoke up that Wednesday afternoon after getting home from his third day at work.

The four youngest paused their video game; Kun set down the magazine he was skimming through; Ten dropped his spoon, mouth left open. They all seemed to think about it for a while before shaking their heads and going back to what they were doing.

“I try not to,” Xiao Jun spoke up, remaining completely focused on the game they were all playing. “One time Hendery, Yang Yang, and I watched one of those human alien movies and it was so scary Yang Yang had to sleep on my bed and Hendery couldn’t pee by himself. Don't even ask how that went. And then we realized that was meant to be us, aliens, and boy did we feel stupid.”

“But aren’t humans aliens to us then?” Lucas spoke up, unable to focus completely on the game or the conversation, ending up with him getting killed.

“I think it’s funny how humans are so isolated, though, that they think anything outside of Earth is dangerous and alien. Back in our galaxy it’s like countries here.” This time it was Yang Yang speaking up. “We can travel to different planets and moons in our galaxy and it would be like visiting different countries here. But everything back in our galaxy is so much bigger than Earth, yet so much more connected. We have our ships that can take us anywhere, our alliances with other planets and solar systems, and of course, our cultural days where everyone comes together to create peace and unity. Earth is war.”

“Yang Yang, that was quite smart of you to say,” Ten said, genuinely impressed by the youngest.

“Kun, my hand is stuck in the pringles can again,” Yang Yang then spoke up, bringing his arm up and revealing the reason why he had been doing so bad this video game session. Ten sighed and shook his head.

“I really miss our cultural days,” Hendery said, changing the subject just a bit. “The food, the games, the performances.”

“I miss performing,” Ten thought out loud. Back in their planet, cultural day was a day they tended to have a few days a year to celebrate the peace and unity between all the solar systems and planets of their galaxy. There were games and food and (Ten’s personal favorite) the performances from the different representatives of each planet. Each planet had its own set of different representatives that were also known as the best of the best. There were artists, singers, and dancers. And Ten had been one of them.

Their planet wasn’t the biggest, nor was it the smallest. But it sure was the most competitive. Especially when it came to the representatives. And Ten knew that the best. For as far back as he could remember, Ten had always wanted to represent for their planet. Though he wasn’t actually from there (a story for another time), he had big pride in his planet and he always we wished that one day it would have pride in him. And it did. With every year he spent there, he grew with his skills and talents. He spent every day in the practice rooms, working on his routines to the finest touches and details. That was how he met Si Cheng who was a year below him.

Si Cheng and Ten were both performers - dancers - in similar categories. Many times they competed against each other, and many times they competed as partners. And they got into the most prestigious learning academy in their planet, residing at the center of the capital. Leaning on no one but each other, the two worked their ways up until one day, they were finally part of the line up for representatives of their planet. And soon, Ten became the pride and joy of the planet with Si Cheng not far behind.

Ten had the approval of the people. No, he had much more than that. He had their love and admiration that was greatly achieved by the mixture of his talent and charisma. Everyone swooned over him. He was probably the most popular heartthrob of their planet and solar system, maybe even galaxy. But that all came to an end when…

“You’ll get to perform again,” Si Cheng said, giving Ten a reassuring smile. “When we get home, everything will go back to normal.”

“Why don’t you two go to Hongdae?” Yang Yang suggested. “I heard it’s a place for the youngsters like us where many aspiring artists perform in the streets. You can get money that way too.”

“I’m too good to perform on the streets,” Ten scoffed.

“Isn’t that how you started? In the streets of our capital?” Lucas asked.

“Okay, that’s the end of this conversation.”

 

* * *

 

Kun frowned. He had taken the three youngest to the library again, this time with Lucas after he promised him they would stop for food on the way. And they were all currently looking through books on things they were interested in and wanting to study. Except Hendery, who sat at the farthest corner, looking through something on the computer that wasn’t related to robotics.

“What are you looking at?” Kun asked, leaning over as he scanned the monitor.

Hendery jumped, not expecting anyone to notice what he was looking at. “Uh-”

“Why are you looking for dance practice rooms in the area?” Kun asked. And then a look of realization crossed his face and Hendery knew what was coming. “Are you doing this for Ten?”

“I feel bad,” Hendery said softly, like a kid who was about to get scolded. “Ten spent all of his life working hard to become the best performer in our planet, working himself off in the practice rooms from as soon as he woke up until he could barely walk himself to bed. And when he finally achieved his dream it was all taken from him because of one mistake, and now he can’t go back home and spends his days adjusting to this foreign place, trying to make a living for us who are free to go home whenever we want.”

Kun sighed, taking a seat besides the younger boy. He didn’t really know what to say, so he thought about it for a while. “Do you think Ten wants you worrying about that?”

“No,” Hendery said in a soft voice.

“Then don’t. Ten is working hard to get back home everyday and he worries enough for himself. If he knows you’re worrying for him too he’ll worry about that.” Kun took out his phone (being one of the only ones to have one in their possession with their lack of money) and opened up something before turning it over to show Hendery. “But I know you’re going to keep worrying, so here is this place I found last night. I was also worried.”

 

* * *

 

“What did you kids learn today,” Ten asked the three youngest when he got home that day.

“Today, I learned that Hendery is deathly afraid of frogs,” Yang Yang said with a firm nod and a proud smile.

Ten nodded, staring down at his clipboard before he realized what the younger said and looked up to see Hendery elbowing the youngest. “You’re afraid of frogs? How is that possible, they’re like this small.”

Hendery shivered at the mention of the yucky, slimy creature. “They’re disgusting, I don’t understand how humans are scared of things like lions when frogs exist. Yuck.”

“Today, I also learned that Hendery can scream very high,” Xiao Jun said, also with a firm nod. “Almost as high as his squeaks when he laughs.”

“I don’t squeak when I laugh.” Hendery frowned. Everyone gave him a look which had him sighing in defeat.

Ten clicked his tongue and shook his head while still holding a smile. “Alright, well, you’re all dismissed. I definitely needed to know Hendery is deathly afraid of frogs.”

And with that, their little meeting was concluded with everyone scrambling along in their own direction. Except for Hendery who trailed behind Ten hesitantly, opening his mouth before closing it again until the older stopped right before the door to his room and turned to look at him.

“Do you have something to say?” Ten asked with an almost amused look.

“You don’t work tomorrow, do you?” Hendery asked, taking Ten back the slightest. He shook his head. “I have something I want to show you, if that’s okay? It isn’t far from here, so it’s only a short walk, and I understand if you don’t want to, but-”

Ten shook his head, signaling for the younger to stop his rambling. “Okay. Let’s head off after everyone leaves for their usual weekend adventures.”

And with those last words, Ten turned, walking straight into his room and closing the door behind him, leaving a very flustered Hendery behind.

 

* * *

 

“Are you sure this is safe?” Lucas asked, following behind Xiao Jun and Yang Yang, heading down the alley.

“Of course,” Yang Yang responded, barely glancing back at the taller. “We’ve done this before with Hendery several times, and since he’s busy with Ten, we are letting you in on this experience.”

Lucas’ eyes widened as he continued walking behind the other two. “Do Kun and Ten know?”

“Of course they don’t,” Xiao Jun hissed. “Do you know how much they would freak out if they found out?”

“Then why are we doing this?” Lucas frowned.

Xiao Jun and Yang Yang both stopped walking after making one last turn. And suddenly Lucas found himself staring down a long alley, tents set up everywhere, and many shady deals going down all around.

“Hey, Xiao Jun, Yang Yang, how’s it going?” One very tall guy asked as they continued walking down. “Where’s Hendery?”

“He’s got a date,” Xiao Jun responded. “He says ‘hey’.”

And then another guy from the other side jumped in, yelling, “Hey kids, who’s the newbie?”

“His name is Lucas!” Yang Yang yelled back.

And before he could process anything completely, Lucas found himself watching Yang Yang and Xiao Jun setting up their own tent in an empty space of the shady market. He watched as Yang Yang pulled down his dimensional storage backpack and began to hand over a bunch of glass containers to Xiao Jun who lined them up, all which contained different colored liquids, some shimmering and others glowing.

“What do you kids have today?” An middle-aged man asked as soon as they finished setting up.

“We stocked up more on the strength one if you’re still interested,” Xiao Jun said, immediately going into business mode. “But this week we also have this brand new one that allows you to intake anything you want for thirty minutes straight without any of the side effects like calories or getting drunk. And being our first customer for this product, I’ll throw in a 10% discount.”

“I’ll take both,” The man said, practically slamming down the a wad of money on the table.

“Nice making business with you, as always,” Xiao Jun smiled. And wow was he charming.

And almost two hours later, Xiao Jun was selling the last of his power enhancing elixirs while Yang Yang sat in the back, happily counting the money. Lucas couldn’t believe it. This was what they did every weekend when Kun let them roam around free? It was astonishing, really. The way Xiao Jun could talk business with such charisma and the way Yang Yang could appeal to the customers, he could only imagine how powerful the three were with Hendery.

“I wonder how Hendery is doing on his date,” Xiao Jun said as he began to pack up everything when they were done.

“Probably flustered,” Yang Yang responded. He was still focused on the money.

“I thought it wasn’t a date?” Lucas asked, eyes furrowing.

“Oh trust me, it’s a date.”

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t a date. It was just a performer and an admiring fan hanging out. That was really the only way Hendery saw it. And it was probably even more so the only way Ten could see it. Because despite popular belief, Hendery actually didn't like Ten. The story of the two went a long way back, though if you asked the older, he would tell you he had only met the younger a bit ago. But back in their home planet, Hendery had been Ten's biggest admirer, never missing one of his performances. But that, too, was a story for another time.

“So what did you want to show me?” Ten asked as he and Hendery walked side by side down the busy streets of the city.

“Can’t you be more patient?” Hendery chuckled.

“Trust me, I’m being as patient as possible right now.”

Hendery chuckled again before they settled into a comfortable silence. Their shoulders brushed up against one another as they walked side by side. Funny how they were so comfortable with each other now when just below a year ago the two barely exchanged more than a couple of sentences with each other. Probably because Hendery was too nervous to talk to his idol and Ten really only focused on ways to get back home.

“So, frogs, huh?” Ten asked, breaking that comfortable silence and setting a light-hearted atmosphere.

Hendery flinched before realizing that there were no actual frogs around and that the older was only trying to tease him. “Please don’t,” He whined.

“I just don’t understand.” Ten had a playful smile on his face, making him resemble a mischievous cat all the more.

“They’re just gross, okay?” Hendery shrugged. Ten opened his mouth to say something else, probably some more provoking teasing, before Hendery took hold of his hand and began to drag him down a shabby street.

“Whe-”

Hendery didn’t let him talk, dragging him further down the street until they stopped in front of an abandoned looking building.

“What’s up with us and old abandoned buildings?” Ten asked, a blank look on his face as he stared up at the building. Hendery rolled his eyes and walked around to the backdoor.

“Do you have a key?” Ten asked.

Hendery shook his head and kneeled down in front of the door, getting eye-level with the lock. He took something out of his pocket and got to work, successfully unlocking the door almost seconds after.

“You and the others have learned nothing but bad things after getting here,” Ten said with a shake of his head, following behind Hendery. “Maybe I should get rid of the televisi-”

Ten stopped talking when Hendery opened a window, letting light into the room and reflecting off the glass mirrors. He was speechless when the younger turned to see his reaction. He was looking around, remaining rooted to his place at the entrance. “Hendery, I-”

The younger shook his head, holding a smile on his face. “Apparently dancing is quite a thing here on Earth, like back home. There are many of these practice rooms around.”

“I haven’t danced in years.” It was barely above a whisper. Ten was now staring at the floor, as if he couldn’t handle looking at his reflection. As if he couldn’t handle the aching he felt all around his body.

“Why don’t you try it? Here on Earth there is a saying, ‘you never forget how to ride a bike’-whatever that is- so maybe dancing will come to you the same?”

“There’s no music.” He shook his head.

Hendery rolled his eyes, walking over to a stereo at the back of the room. “Kun helped me set this up,” He said as he began to fidget around with it before some slow and soft music filled the emptiness in the room. He looked back up to see Ten staring at his reflection in the mirror.

Hendery moved to the farthest corner, worried Ten might feel too insecure if he stayed there. Which really wouldn’t make sense because he was the most confident person he knew, and he also used to perform in front of their entire home galaxy. But that was also years ago, before everything had gone haywire and they ended up on this planet, far away from home.

Ten let out a breath, closing his eyes, letting himself listen to the song that sounded very similar to a song he used to dance to back home. Hendery must have done that on purpose, he thought to himself.

He tried to move.

But he couldn’t. And he missed the beat.

His body wasn’t working with his brain.

Or maybe his heart.

A long time ago, dancing used to be everything to Ten. It used to be his only thing. Dancing was the only way he could ever express himself and- he missed it. The way it would make him feel so free and distant from all the problems that life would throw at him. And boy did he have a lot of problems now. But five years was a lot. Especially when dancing was how he would spend his entire day, every day.

To be honest, he was actually scared. That, unlike Hendery said, it wouldn't come to him like riding a bike. That it wouldn't be natural for him. That he had reached his peak long ago and could never go back to those moments that made him the happiest. And that was very scary. But Ten wasn't one to let fear in get in the way of things.

He felt his palms sweat and his hands twitch as the song moved further in and the second verse was almost there. If he didn’t move now he would miss it and-

His hand moved to the beat, and then again. It was slow and rhythmic, just a few hand movements moving along to every soft beat of the song, until it reached the drop and his body began to move before he could process it. A leg thrown here, another over there, flowing along and syncing to the rhythm of the music. And he jumped around, turned that way, turned this way, fell to the floor, rose back up- And it was beautiful.

Hendery was in awe. He was astonished. There was no human word in no human language that could possibly describe what he was feeling in that moment. And especially no word that could describe how Ten was feeling in that moment. He was so light with his moves, so delicate, and so passionate. Hendery was almost brought to tears. Only almost, though, because he knew he would never hear the end of it from Ten if he was.

But when the music stopped and Ten was standing breathlessly in front of him, eyes finally opening, he was able to see their shiny, glassy reflection.  He didn’t think he had ever seen Ten in tears, much less cry. Which meant he really must have missed dancing.

“Thank you.” Was all Ten said. He didn’t need to say anymore. Hendery understood.

No matter what planet, what solar system, what galaxy; There was nothing that Ten loved more in the universe than dancing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: I listened to Winwin's line in chain on a loop while typing the first half of this chapter, and Dream in a Dream while typing the second half.
> 
> This chapter has been in our drafts for a while. And the chapter that comes after this was written way after this chapter was written because there was a gap in when we stopped writing because we got busy. Anyways, I've been very busy with college and major assignments and Nae has also been busy, so our updates have been slow.
> 
> BUT, we have been working on some very fanservice-y chapters lately so look forward to that.
> 
> Markhyuck shippers, I'm looking at you ;) 
> 
> -J
> 
> *In Haechan's pre-debut voice*  
> Booming system up up, ty track, ty track
> 
> ~Nae
> 
> Ya'll that ain't me. J is trying to take over, please send help!


	12. Bet On It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was an awkward silence and Hae Chan’s mouth dropped, realizing he had finally voiced out everything he had been holding in since he was four. A hand went up to his mouth, before he stuffed his face into his hands and groaned. Jeno and Jae Min were still jaw-dropped.
> 
> “Seriously, I can really help you conceal your emotions.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title comes from Nae listening to Bet On It from High School Musical 2 while editing.

“So, you have apathy powers?” Mark asked for the fourth time since Jae Min and Jeno had brought Ren Jun into their layer.

“Yes,” Ren Jun groaned, growing frustrated with the repeat of the same question.

“And you can conceal not only your emotions, but other’s emotions?” Mark asked, also for the fourth time.

“Don’t you have a brain, how many times do I have to tell you that yes, I have apathy powers that can conceal emotions,” Ren Jun responded in frustration. “What is not clicking?”

“I like this guy,” Hae Chan, who was leaning against the wall behind Mark with his arms crossed, said, earning himself a, “Hae Chan, not now,” from the older.

“It just sounds crazy.” Mark sighed. “And it all makes so much sense, with the way you and Jae Min set each other’s powers off.”

Ren Jun snorted, sending Jae Min a glance. “Yeah, well my powers are stronger. That day at the park I was using my powers and I assume he was also using his, so the activation of the two within the same radius must have reflected off of each other or something. But my powers are stronger so he was the one that fell vulnerable.”

“How strongly were you using them for me to fall so vulnerable to them?” Jae Min asked with a frown.

“I wasn’t,” Ren Jun retorted. “I barely used them at all. The only reason I fell vulnerable the other day is because, though I didn’t know it at the time, you were trying to feel my presence which caused me to go haywire slightly before I used my powers to block you.”

“I don’t really understand what anyone is saying right now, but I’m going to assume it all makes sense,” Chenle spoke up. Ji Sung face palmed, though in all honesty he was also not processing 100%.

“It actually does make sense,” Jeno jumped up. “It explains why we can’t access his mind.”

“It’s protection,” Ren Jun shrugged. “Though I never thought I would run into a telepath or an empath.”

“So what now?” Ji Sung asked.

“I think we should recruit him.” Hae Chan shrugged.

“I don’t.” Mark said with a glance at the other. “We need to discuss things as a team first.”

And after that, Ren Jun took the cue to leave while they all sat in a circle on the floor, discussing whether they wanted to bring Ren Jun into the group or not.

“I think not. I mean, Apathy and Empathy are opposites of each other, do we want to risk the safety and balance of this team? What if something bad happens?” Mark argued.

The others all changed a look, seeming to think about it. Hae Chan snorted. “What could happen with those powers? They’ll fall in love and get their hearts broken? They're just powers based on emotion.”

“Need I remind you of what happened to Jae Min at the park during their first encounter?” Mark deadpanned.

“Nevermind,” Hae Chan retracted.

“I also don’t think we should recruit him,” Ji Sung spoke up after seconds of silence. Everyone in the circle turned to look at him, questioning and baffled looks on their faces. “Don’t you all think it's suspicious how I couldn’t find any background info on him? I told you, it’s like he doesn’t exist.”

Jeno hummed thoughtfully before he nodded. “He has a point. When I tried to read his mind, it was like he didn’t exist.”

“That’s because his powers-” Jae Min was cut off.

“His powers still wouldn’t explain why there are no records on him,” Ji Sung cut off.

“We’ve talked about this before,” Jae Min began again. “If anyone else tried to do a search on _us_ they wouldn’t be able to find anything because you have us protected.”

“Then who has him protected?” Jeno asked. It was funny how he gave himself chills with his own question. Everyone in the room remained silent.

“Anyways, I think we should have him under our eye, don’t you guys?” Hae Chan asked, changing the topic and looking around the make eye-contact with everyone. “I mean, I think we should recruit him no matter what, but since you guys are so wary, why don’t we just recruit him to keep an eye on him? Not include him in any of the actual underground work, but still have him around, and when we trust him enough actually do a proper welcoming?”

Mark seemed to process everything and slowly started nodding. “That-that is actually a good plan,” He said as if testing out the words.

“Why do you sound so surprised?” Hae Chan scoffed.

“Okay team,” Mark clasped his hands together, “Let’s recruit Ren Jun as the next member of Dream.”

 

* * *

 

“We only have two weeks left till the project is due, so I have prepared a meet-up schedule.”

Jae Hyun looked down at the sheet that had been shoved into his hold. He frowned when his eyes landed on the scheduled days. “We’re meeting up on Mondays and Fridays now?” His eyes turned a little more panicked as he looked back up at the guy. “I-I can’t meet on those days I have-”

“I’m no longer busy those days,” Do Young said with a shrug. “I put down all the days we won’t meet, but besides those days we’re pretty much meeting up every day.”

“N-no this won’t work,” Jae Hyun mumbled, once again scanning the sheet before looking back up at Do Young who raised an eyebrow, expecting an explanation. But how was Jae Hyun supposed to explain that the reason he who couldn’t meet up Monday’s and Friday’s was because those were the days his arch nemesis Doctor Death attacked the city and under his alias, Captain J, he had to defend the people against him? “I guess I can make time.”

“Good, now let's get to work,” Do Young said. And as if he hadn't just completely stressed Jae Hyun with only a few set of words, the older began to unpack his backpack.

“Okay, I was doing some work last night and I was thinking about fitting this into the presentation portion of the project.” Jae Hyun said as he shifted closer to Do Young to show him what was on his laptop.

Do Young leaned in, scanning whatever Jae Hyun had typed up the night before and backed away, nodding slowly. “This is pretty good,” He mumbled approvingly. Jae Hyun’s eyebrows raised. He didn’t think Do Young could be the type to give compliments.

As if other could read his mind, he chuckled. “Don’t be so surprised, I’m not as bad as everyone makes me out to be.”

Jae Hyun’s ears turned red and he sheepishly avoided eye contact. An embarrassing act, really. “I’m sorry I didn’t-”

Do Young rolled his eyes, but it wasn’t in an annoyed way. “Either way, this presentation isn’t going to make itself.” And with those words the two boys got to work.

They had been at the library for a few hours when Jae Hyun, hating to admit, knew his stomach was going to rumble at any moment soon, embarrassing himself in front of Do Young which would then cause him to run away and hide in a closet.  No, he’s overreacting and clearly Do Young wouldn’t judge him for being hu-

His stomach betrayed him- The loud and whale-like noise echoed in the large, open library for everyone to hear. Do Young looked away from his laptop to look at Jae Hyun and his bright red ears. Maybe Do Young would judge him a bit.

“Do you want to go eat?” Do Young asked as he started packing up. It was a rhetorical question, really.

“No, it’s fine let's continue working,” Jae Hyun said rather sheepishly.

“Don’t be stupid, we’ve done enough work today. I’ll treat you, now come on.” Do Young stuffed his items into his backpack and pushed in his chair as he waited for Jae Hyun to finish packing up.

“Thanks,” Jae Hyun mumbled as they made their way out of the library.

“No need, can’t have you pass out on me. Also, I think I’ve been a bit harsh on you,” Do Young responded as they exited the building and walked on the sidewalk.

“Where do you want to eat at?” Jae Hyun asked, slightly looking down to make eye contact with Do Young.

“How about that stand?” The older asked, pointing at a small stand across the street.

Jae Hyun nodded and the two walked over.

It was quite awkward, but not was awkward as Jae Hyun thought it would have been. Granted, he was still highly intimidated by Do Young and they had never seen each other outside of class purposes before this, but it was still better. Maybe even a little comfortable? He was still tense, though.

Do Young paid for their food and it wasn’t until they sat across each other at one of the tables next to the stand that Jae Hyun realized this was actually happening. He was actually hanging out with Do Young outside of the school setting. And he even paid for his food! That was a setting he never thought could happen.

“Are you enjoying your food?” Do Young asked. He seemed relaxed. His calming presence was actually quite enjoyable; it helped lessen the tense atmosphere

“Oh, y-yeah,” Jae Hyun said, flashing a grin at Do Young to show how much he was enjoying his food. Now, Jae Hyun’s smile was like a virus; it was so charming it spread and make everyone smile. Do Young wasn’t an exception to this. Do Young let out a chuckle, the smallest smile on his face, and for a small moment they weren’t so awkward anymore. Only for a moment, though, because Do Young suddenly grew serious, a hesitant aura around him.

“So,” The older hesitated, his fingers tracing the top of his cup. Jae Hyun unconsciously leaned in, anxiously anticipating what he had to say. “Am I really that intimidating?”

Jae Hyun’s eyes widened the slightest. His eyebrows quirked up, before falling down into a frown. Should he be honest? Should he lie? He didn’t give it much thought before he found the word falling out of his mouth, “Yes.”

Oh no. Had he really just said that? Seeing the look on Do Young’s face let him know he had. And he didn’t know how to fix it. It was all going okay until that moment and he had probably just ruined it an-

Do Young smiled. Now, this was no regular crooked or half-smile he tended to give. This was genuine. “Good, it keeps dumb people away. Though I guess maybe I should work on myself to not scare people like you away.”

And Jae Hyun smiled too.

After that, it all went pretty easy.

A few questions were thrown around here and there, and Jae Hyun learned a few things. One, don’t ever invite Do Young to play monopoly; two, don’t ever mention his older brother around him (whoever that was); and three, he is a sucker for corny jokes.

Do Young had stopped counting how many times Jae Hyun had cracked a joke after he reached ten.

“So, why was the little strawberry crying?” Jae Hyun asked, slightly leaning over the table.

“Hmm, why?” Do Young asked, seeming genuinely interested.

“His mom was in a jam.” Jae Hyun responded, another grin on his face.

“That one is actually kind of f*cked up, poor kid’s mom was used for jam.” Do Young responded with a light laugh. Odd. A few corny jokes and they got fairly close; you’d think he would hate corny jokes but look at him now laughing at the stupidest things Jae Hyun told him. It was also amazing how many of those corny jokes Jae Hyun knew off of the top of his head.

“I didn’t think of it that way, I just thought the mom was in trouble,” Jae Hyun said, still holding a wide grin.

“Seriously? But that was the whole point of the joke, right?” Do Young laughed.

“I just thought jam meant she was in trouble, not in an actual jam jar.” Jae Hyun was sheepish now.

Do Young leaned back in his seat, shaking his head with a smile on his face. “You’re something else.”

Jae Hyun only smiled, feeling like he didn’t need to say anything else. It was all so comfortable now… Until-

Do Young frowned, looking down at his buzzing phone. He glanced at Jae Hyun for a second before he reached out for it and answered the call. “What is it?”

Jae Hyun figured it must have been someone he was close to for him to have answered like that. He stayed silent, watching how Do Young frowned once again, seeming to be listening to whatever the other person was saying thoughtfully.

“What?” Do Young then asked rather sternly. “Jung- speak slowly, what do you mean-”

Do Young went silent, sparing Jae Hyun one last glance before he said something about heading off and hanging up. “I have to go,” He said, “I’ll see you tomorrow to work on our project again.”

Jae Hyun nodded, watching the other gather his things before rushing off. Why was he always rushing off?

 

* * *

 

“So you guys are really letting me into the team?” Ren Jun asked, looking like he didn’t trust them. Which was funny because in that situation it should have been the other way around. But they all nodded anyway. “Okay, I guess we should have proper introductions now, huh?”

Mark nodded, taking a step forward as the unofficial leader of the team. “I don’t think our first meeting very formal, so let me introduce myself first. I am Mark Lee, the-” He cut himself off, realizing he almost called himself the leader.

“He’s our leader,” Hae Chan filled in, stepping out and swinging an arm over his shoulder. “The first member of the team and the oldest, thus making him the leader.”

“Thanks, Hyuck,” Mark mumbled as the other went back to leaning against the wall.

“Can I please stop feeling whatever you are feeling?” Jae Min said, directed at Hae Chan.

“Get out of my head then,” Hae Chan scowled.

Ren Jun looked back and forth between everyone, a little confused and perhaps a little scared. “So, what are your powers?”

“Should we tell each other that so soon?” Hae Chan asked.

“You all know my powers.”

“Point.”

“He swings around and stuff,” Chenle spoke up, getting tired of just sitting around waiting for his turn. “Anyways, I’m Chenle and I can replicate, wanna’ see?”

Ren Jun cocked an eyebrow, showing the slightest bit of disturbance from the younger. He shook his head, mumbling a small, “No thanks.”

“I’m Jeno, the second oldest,” Jeno introduced himself. “I have telepathy, but you probably already knew all of this.”

“We’ve been working together for a week now,” Ren Jun deadpanned. “And we met even before that.”

“Okay, I’m Jae Min, my powers are empathy, and despite popular belief, I don’t actually lose control of my powers very often.” Jae Min introduced himself. “But we have met before too. Oh, and that one over there is Ji Sung, the genius mastermind behind everything in this room.”

Ren Jun turned to look at the youngest in the room who sat at his desk, looking at him unimpressed. He didn’t trust him. It was obvious. He only needed one look to know he was going to be hard.

“I’m Ji Sung. I think that is all you need to know about me for now,” The youngest spoke.

“Kids,” Hae Chan said with a click of his tongue and a shake of his head. He then leaned away from the wall, walking over to where Ren Jun was standing. “Nice to meet you, the best introduction for last, I am Hae Chan and one wrong move and I could stick an arrow through your chest quicker than Chenle can replicate into ten versions of himself and quicker than Mark can wrap you up in webs. But I like you right now, so tell me, are you an 00’ too?”

“An 00’?”

“He means your year of birth.”

“Oh, then yes.”

“We’re going to get along perfectly.”

 

* * *

 

“Okay, if you’re going to be a part of the 00’ gang, we need to know we can trust you,” Hae Chan said as the four 00ers walked down the street, heading for the ice cream shop the original three would often go to. “What a better place to start than our very own hangout?”

“Baskin Robbins? Really?” Ren Jun asked when they stopped in front of the of the shop, but followed behind the rest anyway when they walked in.

The four teenagers were immediately greeted by the cashier who said, “Welcome to Baskin Robbins.”

Ren Jun continued following behind the other four, only stopping for a split second when he felt a strong presence and turned to look at the cashier whose name tag read ‘Ten’. He stared back, and the two remained with the eye-contact as he continued to walk by until he reached the other three who were looking down at the ice cream choices.

“What will it be for you four today?” Ten, the cashier, asked with his eyes remaining focused on Ren Jun.

“We’ll take the usual,” Jae Min responded.

That was when Ten finally looked away from Ren Jun to look at the others. “I don’t know your regular, kid.”

“Oh, you must be new,” Hae Chan said. “Well, just so you know, this is Jae Min, that’s Jeno, I’m Hae Chan, and this is our new friend Ren Jun. We come here every week.”

“And why would I care.” Ten frowned. He seemed annoyed.

“Because we are loyal customers, duh,” Hae Chan responded. “Anyways,” He moved on and began to list all their regular orders before turning to Ren Jun, who still had his eyes narrowed on Ten, and asking, “And you?”

“Rocky Road.”

Ten shook his head, putting everything down before he began to serve them. It wasn’t long before they were all sitting at the far back corner, gossiping while enjoying their delicious treats.

“What do you think of the new worker, Ten?” Jeno asked before taking in a spoonful.

Hae Chan shook his head, clicking his tongue. “Corny name, weird haircut, and not a very nice attitude. At least he’s cute.”

“Cute?” Ren Jun asked with a questioning eyebrow.

“Not my type, though.” Hae Chan shrugged.

“His type is Mark, and Mark only,” Jae Min jumped in. Those words resulted in Hae Chan whipping his head around to glare at the other, mouth stuffed with ice cream that he tried to swallow down.

“That is not true!” He whined when he was able to swallow down his ice cream.

“Honestly, he’s been pining after him for years,” Jeno said as he turned to look at Ren Jun. “It’s just sad at this point.”

“Stop!” Hae Chan whined, almost throwing himself at Jeno to shut him up. The other only shrugged, enjoying playing with him.

“Might as well admit it, Hae Chan,” Jae Min said before taking a lick of his ice cream, “Jeno can hear you mushy thoughts, and I can certainly feel your disgusting mushy feelings anytime Mark even looks in your direction.”

Hae Chan sighed, stuffing his face into his hands. “I didn’t think I was being that obvious.”

“I don’t think you’re obvious. But your feelings are definitely so strong, Jeno and I are disgusted,” Jae Min shrugged. “Our powers can’t help it.”

Ren Jun shook his head and clicked his tongue. “If you want, I can help you conceal those emotions.”

Hae Chan looked up, almost frighted at the new guy’s suggestion. He and the other two exchanged a look before he let out an awkward laugh and shook his head. “Hah, no. . . I think I’m good right now. Thanks for the offer, though.”

“Anyway, how long have I been this obvious?” Hae Chan asked, giving up on denying his feelings for their team leader.

Jeno and Jae Min both hummed, staring off into the distance as they thought about it. “Since you joined?” Jeno thought out loud.

“But it wasn’t strong until after you and Mark went on that mission and he called you Hyuck,” Jae Min continued.

Hae Chan slammed a fist down, startling the other two. “I knew it!” He hissed to himself. “He calls me Hyuck and I just can’t control myself! I mean, who else calls me Hyuck? Ever since I changed my name to Hae Chan no one has called me that. But then stupid Mark Lee and his nerdy glasses just had to call me ‘Hyuck’ and I suddenly can’t control myself. I mean, do you know how long I have been holding these feelings in?” It was a rhetorical question. “Since Pre-K!”

Jae Min gasped, a hand going up to his mouth. Jeno’s eyes widened. And Ren Jun, well, he seemed to be judging.

“Of course, it was just a silly crush and I was little so it wasn’t a big deal but then we got older and he came back from Canada and he was just such a loser and nerd and I wanted to push him into a trashbin but also kiss him, but I was also twelve so, you know, I got over it. But then moving on to high school and that stupid night happened and then I was whipped before I knew it and I tried to hide it but every time he walked down the field where we practiced archery I would miss the target which is odd for me, you know, because my archery skills are farther than 10/10, and there was that one time I shot the pigeon but anyway, he’s so stupid and I’m so frustrated and I just want to kiss him every time he calls me Hyuck!”

There was an awkward silence and Hae Chan’s mouth dropped, realizing he had finally voiced out everything he had been holding in since he was four. A hand went up to his mouth, before he stuffed his face into his hands and groaned. Jeno and Jae Min were still jaw-dropped.

“Seriously, I can really help you conceal your emotions.”

 

* * *

 

“So,” Hae Chan said, avoiding any sort of eye-contact. “It’s just us two right now.”

“Hmm,” Mark nodded, remaining focused on whatever game he was playing on his phone.

Hae Chan sighed, looking down at his empty hands. It had already been a day since he confessed to the others about his feelings for the leader, and he was already feeling frustrated. That was the reason he had been so persistent on denying how he felt for him, because he knew as soon as he admitted it, he would get awkward. It wasn’t like he had directly admitted to him that liked him, _gosh no_ , that would be death. But he just felt uncomfortable in the mushy puddle that were his feelings. No wonder Jeno and Jae Min were always so disgusted when they tapped into his mind.

“I’m bored,” Hae Chan whined. Though, it was a weak whine.

“Hmm,” Mark hummed once again.

Hae Chan whined once again, leaning back on the couch in defeat. There was no way he could get the other’s attention. Grabbing his phone and throwing it across the room? He would get pissed. Telling him there was an attack in the city and they needed to head off to help the people? That was too extreme. There was no way-

Hae Chan frowned, eyes landing on the round glasses that Mark was wearing. Without thinking much, his hand reached out and took them off his face. “You still wear glasses even though your powers enhanced your vision? Why?” He asked as he began to inspect them before putting them on.

Mark finally turned, mouth open ready to say something before he closed it momentarily

“Ohhh, your eyesight is _horrible_ ,” Hae Chan said, immediately removing the object from his face. “They hurt my perfectly 30/20 vision.”

“Uh,” Mark spoke, “People would, uhm, get suspicious if I didn’t wear them anymore since, uh, I’ve always had bad eyesight.”

Hae Chan suddenly got up from the couch and ran off with Mark’s glasses.

“Hey, where are you going with my glasses?!” Mark threw his phone on the couch and chased the other.

“I’m helping!” Hae Chan yelled back and ran towards Ji Sung’s desk. He swiftly picked up a pair of scissors, holding the glasses in his right hand. Mark almost caught up to him since Hae Chan took a bit in getting the scissors.

“I swear to god Hae Chan if you break my glasses-!” Mark was cut off by Hae Chan.

“What?! You’’ll web me to the wa-”

Mark had gotten a hold of Hae Chan’s wrist. The younger stopped his ranting and the two stood still in silence. The shorted boy looked Mark straight in the eye. He then looked down, placed the scissors back on the desk, and put on the glasses. He raised his head and smiled at Mark like his usual cheeky self. He was taunting him.

Mark opened and closed his mouth, wanting to say something but was not able to find the words, making Hae Chan smile once more. “Here,” Hae Chan said and handed Mark his glasses back. “They _really_ hurt my eyes.”

Mark nodded, taking the glasses back and heading over to put them up in their case. “Yeah, well you have super vision so it makes sense.”

Hae Chan snorted, his smile still remaining on his face. “I used to think you were such a nerd back in high school because of your glasses.”

Mark looked back at Hae Chan, a raised eyebrow on his face. “Really? I used to think you were a stuck-up, popular jock.”

“Why?” The younger asked. “Because I was insanely buff and good looking?”

“No, because you were in most of the sports teams. You did archery, were in the soccer team, basketball team, swim-”

“Okay, I get it, I did sports,” Hae Chan interrupted, rolling his eyes, “But it’s mostly because of my powers. Thanks to my enhanced vision and incredible aim.”

Mark nodded slowly, seeming like he wanted to ask another question. “When did you get your powers?”

Hae Chan’s eyebrows raised, taken back by the question, but he answered nonetheless, “Around the beginning of my freshman year. You?”

“Same, but obviously your freshman year came after mine.”

“Are you saying you’ve had your powers longer, therefore they’re more developed?”

“That is definitely not what I’m saying. But since we’re on the topic, I do think I’m better at sparring than you.”

Hae Chan gasped, pretending to be offended by his words. “Well, Mark Lee, do you want to test that?”

And that was how they ended up at the park five minutes later, facing each other, standing only a couple of feet apart, and ready to begin their sparring session.

They stood about five feet from each other in the middle of the park. Mark raised an eyebrow and Hae Chan nodded, silently telling him he was ready.

And then they got to it.

Without having to say anything, Hae Chan sprinted towards Mark, starting the match. Mark swiftly moved to the left, dodging Hae Chan’s attempt at a side jab, before he reached out to grab Hae Chan’s wrist but was too slow. Hae Chan spun on one leg and kicked Mark’s right leg.

The older brushed off the pain and circled around the younger before making another move of his own. He clenched his fist and took a step forward, but the younger was able to catch a glimpse and dodge at the last second.

Hae Chan then dropped to the floor, leaving all of his weight on one hand and foot, and performed a sweep kick. But Mark was able to sense it and flipped backwards.

It was Mark’s enhanced senses against Hae Chan’s enhanced vision and years of training for many sports including mixed martial arts. It was rather hard telling which one of the two would. Especially because Mark could sense every move that Hae Chan was going to make and was quite agile, but Hae Chan was quite fast and his sharp vision helped him make adequate dodges and aims.

“Impressive, but how long will you last?” Hae Chan teased and, of course, Mark wasn’t going to let that slide.

“Same could be said for you, do you still want to spar?” Mark really wanted to play.

Hae Chan responded by sticking out his tongue at Mark. With only their heavy breathing filling the empty atmosphere, a staring contest started between them. The older broke it first by once again balling up a fist and going straight at it. Hae Chan wasn’t a fool and, rather boldly, caught it in his own hand.

It looked like the fight wasn't going to end any time soon and by that time the orange hues of the setting sun added to the dramatic moment as it made Hae Chan’s skin glow more than usual, highlighting his features along with Mark’s.

But holding the other's fist in his, Hae Chan saw this as a barrier breaker, and pulled his hand, catching Mark off guard and making him stumble. Hae Chan complimented himself in his head and continued by kicking his left knee. The older fell to the ground with a thud and with just a bit of time, Hae Chan pinned him to the ground as he held both of his wrists above him. With a satisfied grin on his face, he exhaled; His warm breath barely brushing against Mark’s face. “I win.”

Both boys were panting heavily and after what seemed like forever, Hae Chan rolled off Mark and laid beside him. He then turned to face the older a few seconds later and opened his mouth to say something, hesitating, before he closed it. He turned away from him once again.

“Mark,” Hae Chan spoke up. He was uncharacteristically soft.

“Yes?” The other hummed lazily.

“Mark, I-” He stopped.

There was a familiar voice.

“ _Do you wanna play one on one with me_?” The deep voice asked. Both Hae Chan and Mark sat up at the sound of the voice; And there, not far from them in the middle of the park, stood a six foot tall guy in shorts and a tank top, holding a basketball as he talked to some teenagers who rejected his offer.

“Sh*t! It’s that Johnny guy, Mark let’s go!” Hae Chan whisper-yelled and grabbed the other’s wrist, but they were far too late.

“Hey! Do you kids want to pl- Hey, it’s you guys!” Johnny yelled from the other side of the court.

“Come on Mark! We can still make a run for it!” Hae Chan yelled into his ear, but he the other didn’t budge.

Johnny jogged towards them and Hae Chan could only think about how weird it was to see the older in such casual and informal wear when the first time they met him he had been in his super suit and they also knew he was a famous, professional businessman.

The six foot guy held a basketball under one arm as he crouched down to meet their eye-level; A rather uncharacteristically grin was plastered on his face. “I thought I would never see you two again. And trust me, I have tried looking for you two for _ever_. Its as if you two don’t exist.”

“Well, then, our hacker is doing his job right,” Hae Chan said, half-joking, half-serious.

“I knew you two had a hacker on your side! I told Tae Yong but he said it was ridiculous a couple of kids would know someone with such skills and-” Johnny paused as if he had just noticed something. “Wait,” He started, looking back and forth between Hae Chan and Mark, “Did I interrupt something? Are you two on a date? I thought you two didn't get along.”

The boys froze, eyes going wide at the elder’s assumptions. They quickly began to shake their heads, spurring out a bunch of words that the other couldn’t quite make out.

“Of course not we were just-”

“And then we were sparring so-”

“I could never date him-” Hae Chan stopped himself, realizing what he had just said in the midst of trying to defend himself.

“Gee, thanks,” Mark deadpanned.

“So, why are you here?” Hae Chan asked the guy who could only stare at them suspiciously, trying to change the subject. “In the park? At this time? Asking random kids if they want to play with you?”

“Yeah, aren’t you, like, rich?” Mark asked. “Why are you here?”

Johnny sighed, shaking his head as he fully sat down by them. “Well, I have three different housemates and it appears that the one day I am free, none of them can come to play with me.”

“That is rather sad,” Hae Chan said, not sympathetic at all.

“We could play with you,” Mark jumped in, making the younger face palm. “We just finished sparring and all of our friends are busy today, so we’re pretty free.”

“You kids are so nice,” Johnny said with another grin.

And then they spent another hour at the park, playing a game of two against one, having the two younger kids going up against the adult. It would seem like a pretty fair match given that Johnny was over six feet tall and could easily tower over the other two, but Hae Chan and Mark were a great duo. There was definitely no denying that, even when their different personalities peeked through, the two were so complementary to one another. One’s weakness was the other’s strength and vice versa.

Which is why, when the three were lying breathlessly after their basketball match, Johnny didn’t hesitate with his question.

“Would you two like to join my superhero team?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Us when we first started the story: Let's make Markhyuck suuuuper slow burn!!!
> 
> Us now when we type a new chapter: More Markhyuck fanservice here! More Markhyuck fanservce there!
> 
> Anyways there's going to be a focus on ships for the next couple of chapters and I guess more Dream too? And then it'll go back to more action and plot progression.  
> If anyone cared about reaching out to me or more info on myself: [Twitter](https://twitter.com/tenheroes_)  
> [Carrd](https://wayvss.carrd.co/) [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/TenHeroes_).  
> -J
> 
> BTR paved the way
> 
> ~Nae


	13. A Series of Odd Events

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You girls are so stupid,” Another girl jumped in. Jae Hyun wasn’t sure which fanbase she was a part of, but he sure hoped it was his - Captain J’s. “Why do you put Captain J and Doctor Death against each other when it’s so obvious that they have so much sexual tension?”

“Are you actually considering his offer?” Hae Chan asked as soon as he walked into the room that morning and saw Mark sitting at his chair by Ji Sung’s desk, staring at the business card that Johnny had given them the day before.

“How can I not? His offer was a good one. Defending the people of our nation? And having actual training for our powers?” Mark responded as he stuffed the card back into his pocket.

“We are helping the people of our nation,” Hae Chan said rather proudly, though one look from Mark made him sight. “We’re helping them in  _ our own  _ way. We don’t flaunt what we do around like Captain J is all. And perhaps we work a bit illegally. But either way, our powers are well developed and we have our own team already. What do you think the others are going to say when you tell them you’re considering joining another team?”

Mark frowned and in that moment Hae Chan realized. “You’re. . . not going to tell them?”

“I haven’t decided on that yet.” He looked down.

Hae Chan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Was Mark serious? Was he honestly considering betraying his team like that? He couldn’t be serious. “It’s not just your decision, it’s both of ours. Johnny won’t take you without me.”

“I know, which is why I’m thinking about it so hard.”

Hae Chan sighed, pulling up a chair and sitting besides Mark. “Okay, then let’s discuss this as a team.”

“Discuss what as a team?”

Mark and Hae Chan looked up, both startled by the sudden presence of the newest addition to the Dream Team: Ren Jun.

“Jae Min and Jeno said I could swing by today and that the door would be open in the back,” Ren Jun explaining, noticing the looks on their faces. “So, are you two trying to hide something from the others?”

“You’re not also a mind reader like Jeno, right?” Mark asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ren Jun shook his head and the other two exchanged a look. “It’s nothing,” Hae Chan finally spoke up. “Whatever you heard, it’s nothing. Therefore we won’t worry the others with it. Right, Mark?”

Mark looked at the other for a few seconds, hesitating, before he finally nodded. “Right.”

  
  


“Hey, where are you going?” Doyoung asked Taeil before taking another sip of his coffee.

Taeil opened his mouth to responded but was cut off before he could even start.

“Let me guess, a second date with Johnny?”

“It’s not a date, it’s a business meeting.” Taeil responded as he slipped on his shoes in front of the door.

“Alright, get me some information, Jungwoo’s been pestering me to give him more for a fair trade.” Doyoung took another sip of his coffee as he watched taeil grab his bag. 

“Don’t worry, I got you,” Taeil said with a wink and a click of his tongue.

“No, don’t ever do that again. Bye.” Doyoung said with a hint of disgust on his face and a small wave. Taeil waved back and gently closed the door. 

He didn’t really know what he was going to do but he had a vague idea in his head. First he was going to go up to the highest floor, maybe greet the receptionist if he was in a good mood, then ring the doorbell, and run away if he didn’t answer within five seconds. By chance, if he did answer, he’d ask questions and try to get as much information as he could. Boom, great plan. All he had to do was put it into motion and walk there. Yay. Taeil didn’t hate walking; It was just that walking in the crowded streets of the city and being short was not a good combo. He couldn't count the amount of times he had gotten shoved and pushed so far he ended up somewhere completely different from where he originally intended going.

But Tae Il was able to do it and soon he found himself standing in front of the building.

He took a deep breath before entering the tall, and eerie building. Honestly speaking, he was a tad bit scared; Whether it was the dim or colors and the empty aura, he wasn’t sure. But he shook his hands to help calm and went up to meet the warm and kind receptionist.

Taeil then stood in front of the daunting elevator doors for a while before they opened. A couple of people walked out, but he paid them no attention and walked in. He pressed the last button on the elevator and stood still in a corner. A few people joined on the way up but none stayed the whole way, eventually leaving him alone with his thoughts.

There were many racing thoughts going through Taei Il’s head. They wandered and bounced in his mind, and his grip on the leather strap of his satchel tightened as the anxiety in him grew. But, when the doors opened it just seemed to escalate from there, only stopping when he reached the door. Now, it was his heart, if only he could muster the courage to knock or ring the doorbell.

“Come on, you can do it,” Taeil told himself, his finger reaching out to press on the button but never reaching. “There’s no need for you to be scared, okay? It’s just a six foot tall man, nothing more.” Taeil hyped himself up once more and attempted to ring the the doorbell but failed again.

“Does he know we can see him?” Yuta asked, body sprawled all over one of the couches.

“I don’t think so,” Jaehyun responded from the other couch.

The two boys had been hanging out in the living room when one of the hologram screens popped up showing a video of Taeil trying to ring the doorbell. It was another one of Johnny’s many contractions that he had built to show up whenever the monitor censored someone at the door. And now, the two boys stayed staring; Their only source of entertainment at the moment.

“Should we go tell Johnny?” Jaehyun asked, looking up from his phone.

“Nah, I’m sure he already knows,” Yuta responded; Really, he just didn’t want to get up.

“Hm, okay.”

Jaehyun look up from his phone again. Taeil’s odd comments were just--odd.

“Wait, can blind people see in their dreams?...Oh my,” Tae Il had gone on to question as if he had forgotten where he was standing and why.

Yuta really tried not to judge Taeil and his weird questions but he gave up after the third one. “Okay! I’m tired of hearing his weird thoughts! I’m getting Johnny,” Yuta finally got up from the couch and stormed off to who knows where only to come back after a few seconds. “His hall is that way!” Yuta walked in the other direction, leaving an unfazed Jaehyun behind.

After a few minutes, Yuta came back with Johnny following behind him with his arms crossed. “Johnny, that weird man is back, go open the door because I’m out of here.” Yuta said and went into his hall. Johnny only needed to give Jaehyun a look for him to understand, and like that the room emptied out. He cleared his throat and opened the door, facing a very befuddled (I like this word) Taeil in front of him.

“Um, Hello, I came back because I wanted more details on the Avengers, and-”

“127, you mean.” 

“That’s what I said, but anyways that’s why I came, but,” Taeil stopped to look at Johnny straight in the eyes. “How did you know I was here? I didn’t ring the doorbell.”

Johnny only pointed to the small camera next to the doorbell and he felt secondhand embarrassment just from looking at Taeil’s face. All he could mutter was ‘oh’. Johnny chuckled softly, and stepped aside to allow Taeil in.

Tae Il walked in and flinched when he heard the door close behind him, it didn’t necessarily scare him but it did heighten his anxiety. They didn’t exchange any words throughout the walk but it’s not like it was long enough for an actual conversation to take place as his office was part of his living room and vice versa. Johnny, of course, sat on the large polished swivel chair. Taeil shuffled around a bit in the seat in front of Johnny’s desk and gently set his bag down in the chair beside him.

“So, what did you want to know specifically about 127?” Johnny got straight to the point, his clasped hands laying in front of him.

“I actually have a list,” Taeil said and took out a slip of paper from the front pocket of his satchel. Johnny only looked at him in confusion but remained quiet, curious on what the other had to say.

“Okay,” Tae Il started as he unfolded the slip of paper, “do I have to sign a contract? And if so will it be long term or short term? Do you provide housing? If so, do I get my own room? And will you pay for all of the expenses? And what exactly is our goal? When do I start? Do I have to actually train? Oh, and when can I meet Captain J? Also, do I have to fight and save the world like the-” 

“Uhh,” Johnny blanked. His eyes flickered around as he tried to process everything Tae Il was asking. He had expected questions, but not this many questions. “Okay, so yes, you sign a contract. Not a long-term one though. Since your powers aren’t so strong and I haven’t done much background search on you yet, a short-term one seems adequate for the trial process we will go through. This trial process will include your training  which, yes you are required to do. And when the this contact is over you can go into a long-term one if everything goes smoothly. After that, housing and expenses will be provided and covered. But for now, I will ask Tae Yong to prepare a schedule for your training, so just show up during those times. Which means you will not meet Captain J right away.” 

“Lame,” Tae Il accidentally voiced his thought out loud.

“Sorry, what?” Johnny asked, leaning in slightly.

“Nothing,” Tae Il said with a shake of his head and a fake smile. “So when do I sign this contract?”

“We can go ahead and sign it out now.”

  
  


“Is that guy gone now?” Yuta asked when he walked into the living room two hours later.

“Yeah, he’s gone,” Johnny responded from his desk.

“Jae Hyun! He’s gone now! You can come out now!” Yuta called out to the other boy who still remained inside his room. Not even ten seconds later the younger reemerged from his room.

“He’s been gone for a while,” Tae Yong spoke up as he eyed the others and watched them take their seats. “Are you two heading out now?”

“Yeah, I want coffee,” Yuta said as he grabbed his bag.

“And I have to meet up with my project partner to work on an assignment together,” Jae Hyun spoke, also grabbing his bag.

“Alright, have fun kids,” Tae Yong said as he watched them head out. 

  
  


Jae Hyun was an awkward guy, there was no hiding that. He tended to giggle when he found something funny, his ears turned read when he was embarrassed, and he found it hard to read the atmosphere sometimes. Which is why after one afternoon spent with Do Young, he suddenly didn’t know how to act around the guy.

It had been one afternoon only, but they had spent time outside of school for non-school related purposes. They had talked and laughed, and Jae Hyun would say, Do Young was not near half as bad he thought he had been. In fact, he wasn’t even bad at all. Dare he say, he was a pretty cool guy. But the problem was: Jae Hyun wasn’t sure if this was a one-time thing, or an only outside of school thing. He talked about it with Yuta - and the Japanese was sure a blunt one who didn’t like dealing with situations he didn’t think were necessary - and he had told him to just act normal. Smile, say hi, and don’t be awkward. As Yuta had said, and he would quote, “It’s not awkward unless you make it awkward.”

But Jae Hyun was awkward.

So, when Do Young arrived at the library, Jae Hyun tried his best to be normal. He smiled, said hello, and tried his best to focus on his work. But perhaps he was coming off as too forced because ten minutes into the session Do Young sighed and put down his pen and turned to him, asking, “Why are you so tense? I thought we had gotten over the whole ‘I am intimidating’ thing.”

Jae Hyun opened his mouth, unsure of what he was going to say. Thankfully, someone came up to them, calling out to Do Young.  

“Hey Do Young, mom said she’s expecting you for dinner tonight.”

Do Young tensed on sight, not even bothering to look up to see who it was. And Jae Hyun nearly jaw-dropped when he looked up to see that guy he had bumped into that one time.

“I thought I told you to not acknowledge my presence on campus,” Do Young said with a roll of his eyes as he looked up to see his older brother.

“If you want that then don’t ignore my text messages,” The older brother laughed.

Jae Hyun was confused. He was in awe, but he was confused. This guy who he had fallen head over heels for was - Do Young’s brother? Now that he thought about it, it made a lot of sense. The height, the build, the eyes. Well, maybe not the eyes - Do Young’s were a tad bit wider and rounder.

And as if he knew he was thinking about it, the older brother turned to him with a smile and said, “Hey, you’re the guy I bumped into the other day. Remember me? I’m Gong Myung. I didn’t know you knew my brother.”

“I didn’t know you two were brothers,” Jae Hyun said with a smile (Because he remembered him), barely sparing the younger brother a glance. The same younger brother who was now even more confused than Jae Hyun had been just two minutes ago.

First of all, how did Jae Hyun and his older brother know each other? Second of all, why did Jae Hyun look more comfortable with Gong Myung than he did with him though he had know him for longer? And why was he smiling so much?

Do Young was completely and utterly - disgusted? Jae Hyun and Gong Myung were laughing at this point about who knows what and all he could say was, “I didn’t picture you two as the type to get along.”

“We just met each other,” Gong Myung responded. Then his phone buzzed and he was shaking his head. “You know what? I have to go. But, Jae Hyun it was nice meeting you again. You can ask my brother for my number. And Do Young, I expect to see you tonight.”

Do Young rolled his eyes and Jae Hyun smiled to himself. The atmosphere had completely changed.

“So, why didn’t you tell me your brother works here?” Jae Hyun asked.

“I told you before,” Do Young said with a newfound attitude as he began to go through his folder, “to never ask me about my brother.”

Jae Hyun almost pouted - did this mean he couldn’t ask for Gong Myung’s number? As if Do Young could read his mind, he sighed and began to scribble something on a piece of paper before he tore it off and handed it to Jae Hyun. It was Gong Myung’s number.

“Let’s get back to work,” Do Young grumbled. And just like that, the atmosphere changed for the second time.

But it was only twenty minutes before the two experienced another interruption. This time, though, it wasn’t directly addressing any of them. It was just a few girls talking a little too loudly in the library.

“Honestly, isn’t Doctor Death better though? I mean, what does Captain J do? He runs around trying to stop a villain that really isn't doing any harm? He can’t even fly.”

Jae Hyun’s head had snapped up almost instantly at the words of the girl. Had he heard that right? Had someone just praised Doctor Death while putting him - Captain J - down?

“What the hell are you saying?” Another girl spoke up. “Doctor Death terrorizes the city and someone needs to stop him? Who better than Captain J? You crazy bitch.”

“Bitch what? Tell me one good thing Captain J has ever done for the city.”

“He stopped that bank robbery, duh,” Another girl from Captain J’s fanbase jumped in.

“As if,” The girl from Doctor Death’s fanbase scoffed, “Doctor Death could have killed people with a snap of his fingers if he wanted to. He played Captain J so easily, what kind of a superhero is he?”

“This isn’t Thanos you panini head. Doctor Death is a villain and Captain J knows how to handle him, so shut up.”

“You girls are so stupid,” Another girl jumped in. Jae Hyun wasn’t sure which fanbase she was a part of, but he sure hoped it was his - Captain J’s. “Why do you put Captain J and Doctor Death against each other when it’s so obvious that they have so much sexual tension?”

At this point, Jae Hyun had completely abandoned his entire assignment. And apparently he wasn’t the only one, because Do Young let out the loudest snort he had ever heard before he burst into a loud fit of laughter, tossing his head back as he covered his mouth with a hand and slapped his knee with the other.

Jae Hyun was confused all over again. He was embarrassed and confused. First, he didn’t know how he felt about the girls shipping Captain J and Doctor Death because they were enemies. And second, why the hell was Do Young laughing so hard that it took him two whole minutes to settle down?

Was it really that funny to him? And why? He didn’t think Do Young would even know much about Captain J or Doctor Death. So, why was he laughing so hard?

“I’m sorry,” Do Young said when he finally calmed down, a smile remaining on his face. He closed his journal and shut his laptop as he shook his head. “I think I should go now.”

“Why?” Jae Hyun asked. He was honestly a little offended. “What was so funny?”

“Nothing,” Do Young said with a shake of his head, “Except, well, I don’t think either Captain J or Doctor Death would find it so funny that a few, mostly likely straight, teenage girls were shipping them when they are enemies that are constantly fighting. Or… maybe they would find it funny. Who knows? Either way, it was just hilarious.”

“I guess,” Jae Hyun said with a frown. He still felt offended and he wasn’t really sure why. But he supposed Do Young was right. He didn’t find it funny.

 

  
When Si Cheng started working at the coffee shop it was really just for the money. But it seem that with each passing the day, the more he enjoyed his work. There was something about the aura of the place and the strange value that humans put into their coffee that he found intriguing. There was one kid in particular that stopped by about four times a day to buy what Si Cheng liked to refer to as the death drink. It was a four shot venti iced americano. And with the way that the kid seemed to get crazier with each stop, Si Cheng was sure this thing called caffeine was some sort of legal drug that humans were too addicted to, to make it illegal.

And all in all, Si Cheng was fascinated by humans, and a place such as a coffee shop was a great place to observe them more. The way they valued a drug that could keep them going enough to survive stressful things like work and school. Why were they even a thing? What was so important about school that had young kids so stressed? Was it because education was a deciding factor on what their job would be? But why? Why were jobs so important? Back in their home planet, what humans would refer to as the ‘government’. Helped everyone be substantial. And things like ‘jobs’ were more of a volunteering thing. For example, his dance teacher wasn’t a teacher to survive on the benefits like money, but because he liked dancing and helping others. And it was like that with every job. What was classified as a lower job like a garbage truck driver was really a volunteer job that most of their kind would have to do.

Humans were so odd. But Si Cheng still found them fascinating, which is why he enjoyed his job so much.

That was, until, that afternoon, not longer after the rush hour when the place was pretty empty, Yuta walked in.

If it was any other time during the day it would have been so easy to avoid him. Maybe tell a coworker to cover for him while he went to the restroom and busy himself with other customers. But currently, there was only one busy college student in the corner, and all of his co-workers were on break except one who was in the back.

So when Yuta walked up to him he panicked.

“We’re closed,” Si Cheng blurted out.

Yuta’s eyebrows raised before forming into a frown. “The sign said open.”

Si Cheng mentally cursed himself for being so stupid. He didn’t even understand why he wanted to avoid Yuta so bad. After all, Ten went assured him his powers would disallow Yuta to remember who he was unless he doubted the false memories that had been implanted into his mind. Which he would have no reason to. Also, it wasn’t like they were going to get close or anything, right?

“I didn’t think I would see you again,” Yuta said after telling him his order. “But I guess I got lucky.”

Si Cheng let out a forced chuckle, thankful his back was facing Yuta as he prepared his drink. “Yeah, well, I thought Earth would be big enough to never run into someone again, but it just proves me wrong more and more with every passing day.”

“Is that a joke?” Yuta asked when Si Cheng turned around to hand him his drink.

“Yes.”

Yuta nodded, taking his drink and staring down at it. What could he possibly be thinking about, Si Cheng wondered. He had known Yuta for a year already, but he barely knew him at all. The few things he knew about him didn’t really come from him directly, but more so their class discussions. Yuta had always been an avid talker during class discussions, especially after their readings, while Si Cheng sat back and remained silent. Listening. One thing he had learned about Yuta during their class discussions was how much he valued knowledge and education. He loved to be constantly learning new things and broadening his view on everything. But Yuta could still formulate his own thoughts and he was very adamant about them when he truly believed in something. And that was what Si Cheng found so interesting about him.

In a planet with so much ignorance, there was someone who was so willing to constantly learn and educate himself and advocate for what he believed in.

“What are those?” Si Cheng spoke out without realizing when he looked down and noticed the metal bracelets around Yuta’s wrists.

“These?” Yuta set his coffee down, hands up to wrists and slightly tugging down on his sleeves. “Oh, uh, they, uh-”

His eyes went up and locked with Si Cheng’s, and in that moment, he knew.

Yuta’s powers had kicked in. And whatever they were, they were powerful. Just as Kun had predicted. But the metal bracelets? Such technology could not be developed by humans-  _ Oh. _

* * *

 

 

 

**Extra:**

Later on that night when the day had passed and the full moon was settled outside, Jae Hyun sat on one of the couches in Johnny’s living room with his feet resting on the counter and his eyes trained on his phone screen. It had been a crazy day and all he wanted really was to relax. But curiosity got the best of him.

And when he read that  _ one  _ part, his eyes widened and his ears burned. He quickly tossed his phone to the side, remaining completely still and frozen.

Meanwhile, Yuta - who walked out of the restroom with his toothbrush in hold - frowned at the sight. He walked up to the phone that remained turned on laying on the other side of the couch and took his free hand out of the pocket of his pajama pants to pick up.

His eyebrows raised and he almost instantly dropped his toothbrush before he fell to floor, filling the empty silence of the room with a loud fit of laughter.

“It’s not that funny,” Jae Hyun sighed as he closed his eyes.

“Why are you reading Doctor Death X Captain J fanfiction?!” Yuta cried in between laughs as he rolled around on the floor, clutching on to the phone. “Bro, you’re on chapter 7!”

Jae Hyun felt not only his ears turning red, but his entire face burnt now too.

“Oh my gosh,” Yuta wheezed as if it was the funniest thing on Earth. “I’m totally sending this to myself.”

It really wasn’t that funny, Jae Hyun thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for not uploading in a while - I have been so busy with college these past two weeks. Nae is my witness. Buuut, I get out for summer in like two weeks so hopefully we will be able to upload more after that. Also, I don't know what this chapter was. It was very - odd. Also, I didn't really get a chance to go over this chapter much so I'll try to edit it later. But thank you for reading!  
> -J
> 
> I want to apologize for our out-of-character characters (Most likely Doyoung, Taeil, Johnny, and Jaehyun). Thank you for coming to my Ted talk 
> 
> ~Nae
> 
> (What Nae means is that sometimes she writes those characters and sometimes I do and we both, uhm, see them differently)
> 
> Also, which ship name? Captain Death or Doctor J?


	14. One Shot, Two Shots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Were you two just mind-communicating?” Mark asked.
> 
> Jeno and Jae Min exchanged a look, quickly shaking their heads in strong denial. But Mark wasn’t stupid.
> 
> “What were you two talking about behind my back? Or should I say, out of my mind?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last week was death, and this week was finals, but I am done with college now and will be working on more chapters now. -J

“We’re not alone on this planet,” Si Cheng said as soon as he walked into their living area that day after getting out of work and having talked to Yuta.

“Well hello to you too,” Ten said, settling his phone down besides him, only mildly interested in what the other had to say.

“What do you mean by that?” Kun asked, although he was only as interested as Ten. 

“I mean Yuta walked into my coffee shop today wearing metal bracelets,” Si Cheng spoke as if he had said the most consequential thing ever. He took a seat down besides Xiao Jun on the couch while the others exchanged confused looks.

“So. . . He likes jewelry?” Yang Yang asked, not understanding what the older was getting at.

Si Cheng looked around, seeing how everyone had the same blank expression on their faces, including Ten and Kun. He sighed, rolling his eyes. “No, stupids, I mean he had metal bracelets - the kind that freeze your powers, which means his powers kicked in and they’re powerful enough to need the bracelets. And do you guys know where bracelets like that come from?”

At that, Si Cheng finally got the reaction he had been waiting for: Ten’s face dropped and Kun’s hands went up to his head to rub his temples, already feeling a headache coming in. The youngers didn’t show much reaction except for Lucas who went, “oh,” because they were all still not at the age of receiving powers, thus their lack of knowledge.

“There’s a..." Ten closed his eyes with a look disgust evident on his face, "Gladiolus on Earth?! Seriously? As if we can’t get enough of them back home, we have some here? Oh who is it, do you know? Because I want to give them a piece of my min-”

“Hold on, how do you know it's a Gladiolus? Why would the metal bracelets give that away? I’m confused,” Xiao Jun interjected, scratching the back of his neck as he tried to process everything. “Also, why does Ten hate them? Aren't we allies with them?”

“Because they’re our competitors in the solar system we come from,” Si Cheng began to explain while Ten continued rolling his eyes. “For a long time we have been at peace with them but Ten,” He paused, glancing at the guy who was still too annoyed, “Has a grudge against some of them for reasons. Especially-”

“Don’t say his name! I can't stand him.”

“Anyways, lately - before we left - things have been shaky between that planet and ours, and after the whole incident it is very likely that our planet will go to war with them. But what lets us know that one of them may be on Earth are the metal bracelets that Yuta was wearing, because they were something that the Gladiolus would manufacture and trade with us for crystal powers. But you know, after Ten-”

“Don’t talk about the crystal! They know the story!”

“Right. You know the rest.” Si Cheng finished off.

“So, what are we going to do about this?” Hendery asked.

Kun sighed once again, leaning back in his seat. “The only thing we can do. Hope we don’t run into them if they really are here on Earth.”

 

* * *

 

“Do Young, what a pleasure.”

The guy rolled his eyes at the other’s words. “Shut up, Jung Woo.”

“Just being friendly,” The younger smiled with a shrug in an act of innocence.

“Do you have it?” Do Young asked, getting straight to the point.

The other sighed, taking off his backpack and pulling out a file of pictures. “Do all of our conversations _have_ to be so formal? I thought after so many business meetings we would be closer.”

“We are close,” Do Young said, taking the file and glancing around, scanning the area, before stuffing it into his backpack. “But when it comes to the business setting it’s best if we keep our personal lives out. We can be less formal when you come over for tea this weekend.”

“Fine,” Jung Woo said, rolling his eyes in annoyance. “Anyways, where’s my file? This won’t be a fair trade if you don’t provide.”

“Here,” Do Young said, taking out his own file and handing it over. Jung Woo immediately reached out for it and opened it up - so information hungry as always. “Yeah," the older scoffed at the younger's reaction, "enjoy it. You don’t know what it cost me to find it.”

“I keep up with the news,” Jung Woo said, not as interested in the conversation anymore now that he had what he wanted. “Actually, I _cover_ the news. I know all about Doctor Death and his crazy adventures against-”

“Shh, would you keep your voice down?!” Do Young hissed, glancing around once again to make sure there was no one around. “People might hear you. And no, I didn’t get this through Doctor Death. I got it undercover.”

“Doctor Death, or undercover Do Young, aren’t you all the same?” Jung Woo said, closing the file, growing disinterested with the conversation. “In the end you just cause more chaos and get me some worthy content to cover.”

“You sure are one to talk about being two-faced,” Do Young scoffed.

“So what if I act innocent when I’m just power hungry, is that a crime?” Jung Woo asked, batting his eyelashes with a pout.

“I was talking about you being a shapeshifter, but yeah your fake innocence is definitely something to brag about.”

“I know you’re being sarcastic, but I’m going to take that as a compliment anyway.”

“You’re such a headache.”

“But you love me so.”

“No, I really don’t.”

 

* * *

 

“So, what is up with you and Mark?” Ren Jun asked when it was just him and Hae Chan in their shack-like room. “You like him but then you ice him out. Also, you two have been up and down since that time I walked in on you the other day.”

Hae Chan sighed, stuffing his face into his hands. “I really am tempted to take you up on that offer, you know.”

“Conceal your emotions? I would have no problem doing that, if you truly wish,” Ren Jun responded, looking a little too enthusiastic to take the emotions right out of Hae Chan.

“No offence, Ren Jun, but your powers completely freak me out,” Hae Chan blatantly confessed.

Ren Jun shrugged and Hae Chan wasn’t sure if he didn’t feel offended because he was using his powers or if he really just didn’t care. “It’s okay. I know they seem weird, but I guess it comes with the whole no emotion equals a sociopath thing.”

“Are you-”

“A sociopath? No. But I do tend to use my powers on myself so often sometimes I forget what feeling is like. I feel things, trust me, I do, but I have made it to where my powers only let specific things affect me. That’s why I hate being around Jae Min so much. He radiates so much happiness and emotion with his powers, it physically pains me.” Ren Jun shrugged.

“That sounds like an au.”

“A what?”

“Nothing. Anyways, about Mark, I think it is just so much easier to avoid him at all costs. Liking him blinds me and makes me do crazy things and then I say mean things but really, I just wish he would toughen up because I care about him and he used to be such a nerd in middle school and most of high school, and I don’t like seeing him get pushed around and- Damn, I’m whipped.”

“Apathy is still an option.” Ren Jun jumped in, trying to crack a joke until he saw the look Hae Chan gave him and he gave up and rolled his eyes. “Look, I may not know much about the whole feeling thing, and I’m not a mind-reader like Jeno, or an empath like Jae Min, but even I can see that Mark is different with you.”

Hae Chan perked up, seeming a little too interested in what Ren Jun was saying.

“By that I mean he’s patient with you-”

“He’s patient with everyone, it’s part of being Mark.”

“And he’s nice to you-”

“He’s nice with everyone.”

“And he puts up with everything you do, including all of your rude remarks-”

“Again, he’s nice.”

Ren Jun groaned, growing frustrated with the guy. “Look, all I’m saying is be nice to him and maybe he’ll like you. He already is so patient with you and treats you kindly, imagine if you were nice to him? He might actually like you.”

“It’s not like I plan on being mean to him, trust me, he’s just so nice and I walk up to him and he’s all goofy and grin-y and it’s stupid because he’s such a nerd and I just have to insult him because liking him is such a weakness and what exactly is he so happy about?”

“Hae Chan.”

“Yes?”

“You’re crazy.”

 

* * *

 

“Is it just me or is Hae Chan hanging out with Ren Jun a lot often?” Jae Min asked, watching closely to see what Mark’s reaction would be. But to his disappointment, he didn’t show much expression.

He seemed to only think about it before shrugging.

 _What is he thinking?_  Jae Min mouthed at Jeno who only shrugged in response.

 _Nothing much_. Jeno responded through telepathy. _He’s just focused on eating. I can’t go any deeper into his thoughts without straining myself._

_Your powers are useless._

_Okay, I don’t see your powers working either._

_Stop communicating with me already, maybe he thought something important and you missed it!_

_I don’t- wait. His mind is working._

_Well, what is it?!_

_Nevermind. He’s just wondering why we’re not saying anything._

Oh.

“ _Oh_ ,” Jae Min accidentally said out loud, making Mark turn to him with a frown and making Jeno face palm.

“Were you two just mind-communicating?” Mark asked.

Jeno and Jae Min exchanged a look, quickly shaking their heads in strong denial. But Mark wasn’t stupid.

“What were you two talking about behind my back? Or should I say, out of my mind?”

Jeno sighed, shaking his head as Jae Min began to pull out some random excuses out of his ass. “And that is why I had to ask Jeno through his mind; to spare him the embarrassment.”

Mark didn’t look like he bought it, but he didn’t question any further than that. They didn’t blame him. Jae Min and Jeno were odd.

_What a great excuse, Jae Min._

_Oh shut it, Jeno, it’s not like you could come up with a better with one._

The two boys began to go at it in their minds while Mark remained silent, thinking by himself while he focused on his food. Until he decided to speak up right when Jeno and Jae Min were sending each other some looks, and forcing them to stop and turn to look at him.

“Guys, I need to tell you two something,” Mark spoke up after a lot of debating with himself, “And I don’t know how this is going to sound because I know you two are more Hae Chan’s friends than mine, but, I also think of you two as my close friends and I don’t really know where else to get advice and-”

Jae Min lit up, sending Jeno a quick look of excitement and anticipation which the other returned before they both turned back to Mark, waiting for what he was going to say, thinking he was going to confess to them about his true feelings for Hae Chan.

But Mark didn’t say anything. Instead he remained quiet, as if re-thinking his choice to tell them whatever it was that was troubling him so much.

_If I tell them Hae Chan and I got an offer to join another superhero team, would it be betraying Hyuck?_

Jeno gasped at the thought that ran through Mark’s head, making the other two turn to look at him. Mark was alarmed.

“Are you-” Jeno couldn’t find a way to words his thoughts. “Are you planning on leaving us? The team?”

Mark sighed, eyes closing as his hands went up to cover his face. Jae Min was looking perplexed, eyes shifting back and forth between his two friends. “What? W-what do you mean? Mark wouldn’t lea- what?”

After what seemed like an eternity of trying to put his thoughts together, Mark looked back up at the two who were staring at him with wide, expectant eyes. He took a deep breath.

“I didn’t want you to find out by reading my thoughts.”

“So were you going to tell us if I didn’t?” Jeno asked, though he knew it was wrong of him to be mad when he _did_ invade the other’s privacy.

“Eventually, yes. That’s what I wanted to tell you guys, but then I remembered that Hae Chan was also involved and it is something that would come best from the both of us.” Mark sighed once again, seeing Jae Min and Jeno’s anticipating looks. “So, do you guys remember when we helped Captain J? And then we got rescued by those two guys.”

“Are they the ones who offered you a spot on their team?” Jae Min asked.

“Yes. The Johnny guy thinks we’d be great on this superhero team he is creating but the thing is he wants us as a duo and-”

“You want to join, and Hae Chan doesn’t,” Jeno finished, not even needing to read his mind again to understand.

“Yes,” Mark nodded. “I don’t want you guys to think of it as betrayal, trust me, I love our team, I really do and-”

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” Jae Min mumbled softly. His eyes didn’t meet Mark’s when he looked at him for an explanation. “I can feel your distress.”

“I’m sorry, guys.”

Jeno shook his head. Very much like Jae Min, he was also not meeting Mark’s gaze, instead looking down at his plate as he also seemed to be in deep thought. “Don’t apologize. If you’re telling us now it means you value our opinions and feelings. I guess - well - this new superhero team must sound very promising which makes me-" Jeno paused, sending Jae Min a glance "-makes _us_ feel like our team is, I don’t know, weak?”

“Our team isn’t weak, guys, you know we are _so_ strong together, but this superhero team-” Mark didn’t know how to word his thoughts. He sighed, looking down at his hands. “Johnny made it sound like they have an in on a lot of things, and I want to be able to do the best I can for the people with my powers.”

Jeno and Jae Min looked at each other, not having to say anything to understand how they both felt on the situation (and not just because of their powers). And they both turned to Mark once again.

“We understand. Are we sad? Yes. But we understand.” Jeno spoke. “So, how are you and Hae Chan going to deal with this?”

“That’s the problem.”

 

* * *

 

“We need to talk.”

“We need to talk.”

Hae Chan and Mark both frowned that afternoon when they both walked up to each other outside of Ji Sung’s dad’s shop saying the same thing.

“Okay, who first?” Hae Chan asked before disallowing the other to answer. “Never mind, I’ll go first. I’m sorry for being such an ass.”

Mark opened his mouth to respond before realizing what the other said and closing it. He frowned once again. “What?”

“I just apologized,” Hae Chan said as if it wasn’t just the craziest thing ever. “Look, I know I act like an ass sometimes, but I do realize when I am being one and I can own up to it. So, here I am, apologizing."

Mark didn't say anything and Hae Chan began to shift around from one foot to the other uncomfortably. "I think this is the part where you accept my apology."

“I guess I accept your apology,” Mark mumbled, still completely taken back. “Uhm, is that all you wanted to say?”

“No, I also wanted to say that,” Hae Chan took a deep breath, “I think I can accept Johnny’s offer with you.”

Mark found himself taken back all over again. “Really?” He asked in disbelief. “What changed your mind?”

“Well, I was talking to Ren Jun and-”

Mark frowned. Again. “You told Ren Jun?”

“What? Of course not. But I was talking to him about - _things_ \- and he went on about how I need to be nice and called me crazy and whatever, even though I think he’s the one that is completely crazy- I mean, have you heard him talk about his powers- and I guess I realized that I am an ass and I thought about the offer more and-” He was rambling. He took another deep breath. “I think I can see things your way. So I am willing to accept Johnny’s offer with you. Anyway, what did you want to say?”

Mark was really at a loss of words at this point. He never imagined the Lee Dong Hyuck could ever own up to his mistakes like this- and he was honestly very impressed. “Uh,” He had forgotten what he wanted to say. He shook his head, trying to remember what he had been so sure on telling Hae Chan, until it snapped. “Oh, I wanted to say that we should talk to Johnny, you know, to know more about the deal. I was thinking and I don't want to leave the others, so may a deal where we can do both would work.”

“I don’t want to leave them either.” Hae Chan sighed. “I don’t know how we’re going to tell them.”

“About that,” Mark spoke up, avoiding Hae Chan’s gaze, “Jae Min and Jeno may already know.”

“Mark!”

“Jeno read my mind!”

 

* * *

 

“So you just went up to a pair of kids at the park and asked them to play basketball with you and then asked them to join your superhero team? Johnny, you’re like six feet tall, that’s creepy,” Yuta said as he put his book down and began to shake your head.

Johnny rolled his eyes, setting down his fork and knife. “I’m not creepy.” There was silence at the table and he looked over at Jae Hyun who avoided his gaze, focusing on his plate of food instead, and then at Tae Yong who took a sip of his drink. “Am I really creepy?”

“Well, honestly, you were kind of intimidating at first,” Jae Hyun spoke, looking up at Johnny before quickly avoiding his gaze once again. “I mean, not in like a bad way-”

“But intimidating is bad!” Johnny whined.

“Yeah, but not anymore! I mean, you’re like, really cool and kind of a big dork,” Jae Hyun tried to reassure.

“I don’t know which one is worse,” Johnny sighed. “Tae Yong, what do you think?”

“I think I’m done eating,” Tae Yong said with a firm nod before getting up and walking over to the sink with his plate.

“Me too,” Yuta said, tossing his dishes into the sink before heading out to his room with his book still in hand, leaving behind Johnny and Jae Hyun who remained talking about weird things.

And it wasn’t until Yuta walked into his room that he realized he was smiling at the situation that had just occurred. A genuine smile - he didn't have many of those lately. He didn’t really know or understand how, but in some way, through the time he had spent there, it seemed like he was actually comfortable and happy. Suddenly there was a wave of guilt that slipped into his mind, making him feel bad for feeling at ease even though his best friend was gone, but he tried to shake it off. He didn’t have to feel guilt for feeling happy, right? Lately he hadn't thought that way.

Yuta sighed, sitting down on the edge of his bed as he stared at the blank wall. Johnny had said they were free to decorate their rooms however they wanted, but Yuta was just too busy with school and training, and he also didn’t feel the motivation to start decorating his new room when he was still in mourning. So, he was left with nothing but a bed and a mirror and a very disorganized closet. Perhaps it was time that he stopped mourning. Though he still felt the grief, did he really have to show it?

It was funny how someone could get judged for a thing as such. If someone didn’t mourn did that mean they did not grieve? No. But it just didn’t seem right. Perhaps that was why he disallowed himself from going down to the coffee shop again over that past week to see that boy.

Because seeing him made him happy - which was crazy because they had just met - and he didn’t think it was _right_ to be happy. And it was wrong of him to feel like he couldn’t be happy because he had to mourn and show his grief, and he knew that. He just felt so much guilt and-

Han Sol wouldn’t like seeing him so troubled over his death.

He knew that.

But why did he feel like he didn't? As if he couldn't move on.

Yuta sighed once again, looking down at the metal bracelets around his wrists. They were starting to seem more and more like cuffs with each passing day; He hadn’t realized until the boy pointed them out the other day. Would he ever be able to take them off? He wondered.

_Why don’t you try now?_

The single thought was enough for him to clutch his right wrist, ready to strip away the bracelet. But then he remembered what had happened that one night and what Tae Yong had told him about his powers. Fear struck him once again and his hand slipped down.

His powers and his mourning- it was all the same.

But Han Sol wouldn’t want it that way.

No, he thought. Han Sol would not want it that way. And with that in mind, he took the bracelet off, flinching as he brought his hand up as if it literally wasn’t attached to him. And he examined it, turning it around as he massaged the spot where the red marks were left. His hand seemed so harmless, as if it hadn’t destroyed an entire building just weeks ago.

Slowly - scared of what could happen - he began to flex his hand. Holding it wide open in front of him before slowly closing it up as he thought about control. Control over his powers. Control over his emotions. And like that night, the blue fog appeared. It began to float around his hand until his hand completely clenched and it vanished.

Yuta unclenched his hand once again; He was slow and tactful with his moves, scared that one wrong move could have Johnny’s home vanished. And slowly, he began to move his fingers; his thumb lightly brushing up against his other fingers while the index one pointed up. And that blue substance once again began to appear, floating around in a wave like a flame.

It was so scary, but he remained calm. He didn’t know what would happen if he didn’t.

What exactly was that blue substance? A fire? His powers charging up?

Yuta looked around the room for something that he wouldn’t miss too much if it turned to ashes. There wasn’t much in the room but he spotted a crumpled piece of paper on the floor and began to focus on it.

He pointed his hand at the ball and with slow and calculating moves, began to move his fingers once again, and then his hand as a whole. And the paper began to levatate. It didn’t just outright float up at first, though. It shook a little and slowly, but surely, levitated off the ground.

Yuta almost smiled. His powers didn’t seem so dangerous then. So, like any other adult who just discovered their superpowers, he began to play around with them. He practiced with the crumpled piece of paper; turning it around, making it float this way and that way and-

He flicked his wrist towards left and the paper went flying in the blue fog, hit the wall - and it comepletely crashed against it, creating a hole in the wall. Johnny, who had just been walking down the hallway, completely froze as the crumpled piece of paper flew just past him, before he looked through the hole in the wall to see Yuta quickly putting his bracelet back on.

“So, uh,” Johnny spoke as he continued to look through the new hole in the wall. Yuta only looked at him sheepishly. Johnny sighed. “I should have made this house superpower proof when I decided to turn it into a home for superheroes.”

And he didn’t say anything else before continuing his walk down the hall as he shook his head.

And Yuta was left behind, also shaking his head as he muttered a small, “Nope. Not doing that again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter we finally got... Jungwoo !!!! We have been teasing it for a couple of chapters already but I don't think anybody noticed? His name is usually cut off before he can be fully introduced and he is usually the news reporter talking about, well, the news; or he's shown talking to Doyoung. But I guess no one got the small hints. Anyways, I really like his character and he plays a big part in this story so look out for him in future chapters.
> 
> Sidenote, this story is so heavily based on the MCU, so I just wanted to say we watched Endgame (I watched once with friends and then again with our family, so Nae only watched it once with the family), and yes, we cried. I still cry. That's all.
> 
> Oh. The movie also might influence some things in this story.
> 
> -J
> 
>  
> 
> I love you three thousand 
> 
> J, I am sorry for not putting in more effort sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry to eveone sorrry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sory sorry sorry sorry
> 
> ~Nae 
> 
> Oh, one last note, WayV aren't alone on Earth. Who do you guys think is another alien?
> 
> Stream Wayv!


	15. The Answer to an Unknown Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A smile immediately grew on the younger’s face when he saw Yuta standing a few feet away wearing a cowboy hat with rhinestones on it. “Dude, why would someone even own something like that?”
> 
> “I don’t know, but I kind of want to buy it and put it in Johnny’s office."

It was a regular afternoon at the Seo household -- Johnny was doing paperwork at his desk, Tae Yong was watering his virtual plants on Animal Crossing, Jae Hyun was on his phone scrolling mindlessly through social media, and Yuta was sitting with a bored expression as he looked through every channel on the television in hopes for something to entertain him -- when Yuta flipped to the news channel.

“I am Kim Jung Woo here reporting on Doctor Death’s latest attack in the city here at the National Bank of-”

Yuta turned to Jae Hyun who turned to Tae Yong who turned to Johnny who was standing up from his desk.

“It looks like Doctor Death has changed his strategy. Not only is he attacking on a day that is not Monday or Friday, but he isn’t just terrorizing the streets.” Johnny began to gather some things before he turned to the others. “Jae Hyun, go now and make sure he doesn’t cause too much trouble at that bank.”

“Got it,” Jae Hyun nodded just when some explosions began to be heard from the tv, making everyone in the room jump. “Why is he doing this? He’s never been this destructive.”

“I don’t know, but hurry up and go now. Wear this,” Johnny said as he tossed Jae Hyun an earpiece which the younger quickly put it on, “If you need backup just tell me and Tae Yong and I will be on standby.”

And with no more words spoken, Jae Hyun ran off -- quite literally with his super speed powers.

“Why would Doctor Death change up his strategy now?” Yuta asked Johnny who was pacing around frantically.

“I don’t know,” Johnny muttered, though it seemed like he was talking more to himself than to Yuta. “I don’t know. . . He was just terrorizing the town at first -- teasing and taunting like a bored child. He wasn’t an actual threat. But if he’s doing break-ins and actual destruction -- Oh _no_.”

“He has actual motivations now,” Tae Yong thought out loud, eyes trained on the coffee table. “He’s not going to go so easy on Jae Hyun now if he tries to stand in the way of something he wants.”

 

* * *

 

Jae Hyun was struggling. He was really struggling. He didn’t think he had ever had a match with Doctor Death like this one.

“I told you I wouldn’t go so easy on you any more,” Doctor Death spoke as he continued to launch random objects that appeared out of nowhere at Jae Hyun.

“Yeah you weren’t kidding,” Jae Hyun said as he continued to jump around before attempting some moves of his own and failing miserably. “I know to take you seriously now. But seriously, a bank? That’s very unoriginal of you.”

Doctor Death let out a laugh, moving closer to the back of the bank where the people who hadn’t managed to escape were hiding; Seeing the instant panic on Captain J’s face, he smiled.

“Tell me, J -- is it okay if I call you J? -- do you think I’m capable of hurting people?” Doctor Death asked as he sat at the counter and glanced back at the cowering people behind him before looking back at the superhero.

“I don’t know,” Jae Hyun responded, eyes trickling over to the people that were hiding with fear in his look. He was trying to be tactful, slowly walking up to the villain, scared that if he made any sudden movements or said anything wrong that he would explode and hurt someone. “But if you want to refer to me that way then I should be allowed to call you Dr. D.”

Doctor Death smiled once more. “Hmm. Alright, J. But you really must think I am capable of hurting people seeing how you’re trying to approach me as if I’m a ticking bomb.”

“That’s not true,” Jae Hyun quickly said, scared of what the other might do. But to his surprise, Doctor Death only stood up on the counter and began to walk atop of it as he brought his hands up and a mix of a green and a purple foggy substance appeared around his hands like flames.

“I’m kind of hurt, J,” Doctor Death feigned a wounded tone, “I thought after all this time as fighting partners you would see I’m really not that evil.”

The villain turned to the hero during his last words to see the look on his face. But the hero remained blank.

“You should see by now,” Doctor Death spoke again, “I don’t do things without reason.”

“Oh really?” Jae Hyun spoke up, crossing his arms. “Then why are you doing this? Why have you been terrorizing the city for the past month?”

Doctor Death scoffed in disbelief. “You don’t believe me? I don’t blame you. People like you -- your only focus is the safety of the people on the surface. But you don’t dig deep enough into the issues under the surface. Underground. Tell me, why do you think I picked this bank in particular to corrupt?”

Jae Hyun froze trying to process everything that the villain was saying. He did things with reason, and claimed Captain J only cared for the people on the surface but not deeper, and said he picked this bank for a reason-- Nothing made any sense. What did he mean dig deep? What surface? Was he saying he only cared about keeping them safe from dangers like a super-villain? But then what was deeper than that? The bank?

Doctor Death scoffed once again, hopping off the counter and landing besides the people who were backed up against the wall as far as they possibly could in fear. He looked at them. And then he turned to the hero. “You’re working with a team of superheroes; I’m sure if you put all those brains together you can figure it out.”

And then the villain walked into a portal and disappeared.

And Jae Hyun was left behind feeling stupid.

 

* * *

 

“Where are Johnny and Tae Yong?” Was the first thing that came out of Jae Hyun’s mouth as soon as he walked back into their home after his earlier fight.

“No idea,” Yuta said, barely looking up from his book. “I think they either went grocery shopping or on some top secret mission. I didn’t really listen when they said they were leaving.”

Jae Hyun nodded as he trudged all the way over to the couch before sighing and letting himself drop down. His face landed on the pillows and his body was cushioned.

“Was it that bad?” Yuta asked as he finally set down his book.

Jae Hyun turned on the couch. He was pouting. “Not to sound whiny, but yes. Why did Doctor Death decide to change up the schedule all of a sudden? And his whole strategy is wack now. What kind of a villain breaks into a bank, terrorizes it a bit, and doesn’t steal any money?”

“Sounds suspicious,” Yuta hummed. “Didn’t you say you’re a criminology major?”

“My brain won’t work,” Jae Hyun said, quite seriously, “I feel like I have the solution to a problem I don’t even know. He said he does everything for a reason and that I focus on the safety of the people on the surface, but I don’t dig deep.”

Yuta nodded, pursing his lips as he began to think to himself. “Simple. Just dig deep. You’re a criminology major, you can figure this out.”

“I don’t think I can,” Jae Hyun shook his head. “Fighting him physically was hard enough. Bringing my brain into this? I’m pooped.”

“Do you want to do something fun then? You know, to get your mind off things.”

Jae Hyun’s head perked up at the older’s suggestion. “What kind of fun?”

And that’s how they found themselves walking around the city, going from store to store while not buying anything in the middle of the night. It was rather soothing, really. There was something about going from store to store, looking at things you knew you wouldn’t buy, while talking to a friend, that was rather therapeutic. After all the stress Jae Hyun had been under lately with the whole assignment with Do Young and the fights against Doctor Death, he didn’t realize how much he needed to wind down, talking to a friend while doing nothing all.

And Yuta was the friend for this.

Jae Hyun hadn’t known him for long, but sharing the same living space for even a few days was quite enough for the two to grow close. There was something about Yuta that gave such a sense of comfort; He was slightly intimidating at first, and Jae Hyun would admit he seemed like a bit of a downer when he had first met him, but after their first real conversation it was so easy for them to fall into a comfortable area. That one area where you knew the person and you would grow close without really knowing how.

And Jae Hyun felt like he could trust Yuta. Like they were both at a time where they needed a friend to trust, and they were there to fill that spot in for each other.

“Hey Jae Hyun, look at this,” Yuta called out just as Jae Hyun was going through the clothing section in a thrift store they had entered.

A smile immediately grew on the younger’s face when he saw Yuta standing a few feet away wearing a cowboy hat with rhinestones on it. “Dude, why would someone even own something like that?”

“I don’t know, but I kind of want to buy it and put it in Johnny’s office,” Yuta laughed. It was so nice to see the older laugh.

If Jae Hyun was being honest, he had been worried at first that Yuta would be hard to crack because he always seemed so down when they first met. He had heard from Tae Yong that it was because he was in mourning, but he didn’t know further than that. But lately it seemed like Yuta was smiling more and more the longer he stayed. It usually came like the wind. A small breeze in the middle of the summer heat. It was quick and left faster than it came, but you could feel it so strongly and it was amazing. He just wished he could do it more, because it would seem that as soon as Yuta realized he was smiling he felt guilty for it.

So, when they were walking back aimlessly through the streets, Jae Hyun had to ask, “What happened?”

Yuta looked up at the taller guy, a confused look on his face.

“I mean, when we first met you were always so-” Jae Hyun didn’t know how to word his thoughts properly without sounding like a nosy asshole.

“Down?” Yuta asked. Jae Hyun didn’t respond, but his silence was very much of an answer in itself. “It's okay. I know I was very down when I agreed to Johnny’s contract. I also know Tae Yong told you it was because I was in mourning. Which, I guess I still am.”

“I’m sorry,” Jae Hyun spoke softly.

Yuta shook his head, flashing the taller a quick smile. “Don’t be sorry. I would be curious too.” Yuta went silent, staring down at the ground as they continued to walk down the street. And then he spoke up, startling Jae Hyun the slightest. “He was a close friend. My only friend, really. We interned together at the SM Scientific Developing building, and usually we worked till very late at night. One of those nights we went out during our break and ended up on the other side of Han river. Everything is very foggy in my mind-- But I guess there was an accident and his body was never found, though it is sure that he’s dead. I barely survived. At least that’s what they say, but when they found me I didn’t have many big injuries. I don’t even understand completely.”

Jae Hyun remained silent as he slowly nodded. It was a lot too take in.

“That is awful,” He slowly spoke up as he began to shake his head, “I am so sorry.”

“Yeah, I just wish I had a clearer understanding of what happened that day.” Yuta sighed. “It’s so weird because nothing of that night makes sense to me; Even when I feel sad, I’m not completely comfortable being sad without feeling confused too. I hate it. I can barely even go back to work without feeling all suffocated and lost.”

“The SM Scientific Developing building. . . SMSD. . .” Jae Hyun mumbled under his breath. Yes, Yuta was a business major, he remembered. He frowned, looking back at the other who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. “I thought SM was your university?”

“It is,” Yuta nodded. “SM enterprises targets many markets. They have multiple branches and I interned at the Scientific Development building. To be honest, I don’t even know most of what goes on down there, but it’s a lot to do with the manufacturing process I believe. My dad is on the foreign board of the main branch-- was. He’s back home right now.”

“So, they have many branches…” Jae Hyun trailed off. Something was not clicking inside his head. What was it? “Oh. SM enterprises is Johnny’s competition, right?”

“In many marketing targets, yes. Mostly with the department I work in because of the manufacturing of similar products to those that Suh Enterprises produces.”

“Wow. No wonder Johnny trash talks them all the time.”

 

* * *

 

“I thought you said you weren’t coming today,” Do Young said as he walked back into the living room with Jung Woo following behind.

“I wasn’t, but after the response we got earlier I thought I might come thank you personally,” Jung Woo spoke up as he sat down on the couch across from the older. “Doctor Death at the bank? The viewers loved it. Our ratings really went up.”

“Glad to see how much you enjoy watching a supervillain destructing and terrorizing the city.” Do Young spoke with obvious sarcasm.

“Hey, my job is to cover news like this. If it weren’t for you I’d have no news, be jobless, and be living here with you and Tae Il.”

“There’s no more space here,” Tae Il said as he walked into the scene.

“Tae Il, haven’t seen you in a while.” Jung Woo smiled.

“It’s been a week.” Tae Il deadpanned.

“Has it?” Jung Woo asked. “Huh, I guess it has. Anyway, when does Doctor Death plan on attacking again? Because if I know him well enough -  _and I do_ - I know he’s going to want to shoot for SMU.”

“Well then you don’t know him well enough,” Do Young smiled. “There’s another place that sounds more reasonable than SMU at the moment.”

Jung Woo seemed to think for a moment, a sly smile appearing on his face. “What games are you playing now, Do Young?”

“No games.” Do Young said before taking a sip from his cup of tea. “There is a strategy this time.”

“I can’t figure you out,” Jung Woo spoke, this time more serious. His eyes were scanning Do Young's face and searching for some sort of answer -- it was a look that the older only saw on him when he was truly trying to figure him out.

“Ironic coming from same who is literally two-faced.” Do Young said, eyes going back down to his book to avoid the look Jung Woo was giving him. “Anyways, if you really want to know, then watch closely. You know I do things with purpose.”

“Why do you always use my powers against me?” Jung Woo asked. “I don’t see you attacking Tae Il for having the weakest telekinesis powers ever.”

“He does,” The oldest spoke, though his presence was hardly noticed.

“First, I make fun of Tae Il too. Second, Jung Woo, when we first met I didn’t even know what you actually looked like because every single time I saw you for five months straight you looked like someone different.”

Jung Woo went tight-lipped. He began to tilt his head from side to side as he weighed the thought as if debating whether it was real or not. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Did you seriously have to think about it?” Do Young asked.

Jung Woo shrugged. “Moving on, Tae Il told me you’re seeing someone new.” He changed the topic.

Do Young looked over at the older who shook his head in strong denial. The younger raised an eyebrow and,finally, the older shrugged, silently admitting he might have let something slip on accident. He sighed, turning back to the younger.

“So, this Jae Hyun guy, who is he? A detective? A cop? A lawyer? Wait, don’t tell me, a str-”

“He’s a student.” Do Young spoke, closing his book and crossing a leg over the other. “I’m working with him on a project for class.”

Jung Woo’s faced dropped into a frown. He was rather confused. “A stu...dent? Oh, I get it, who is he the son of? I know you always date with purpose.”

“No one important.” Do Young said, voice unwavering. “I’m not dating him. We’re literally just working on a project together.”

“Well that is rather boring. I guess I should take my leave then,” Jung Woo spoke up, setting down the cup he had been holding. Though someone might say he was just pleased with the answer. “You know, I have research and stuff to do.”

And with that, Jung Woo showed his way out the door, a few goodbyes here and there, leaving only Do Young and Tae Il behind.

“He sure is something,” The oldest spoke up with a shake of his head. “But, I have to ask, do you trust him?”

“If I have learned anything from Jung Woo since we met,” Do Young spoke up, “Is to never trust a shape-shifter unless you have something they want.”

 

* * *

 

Jae Hyun wasn’t the most observant, but he was not blind. Which was why he was able to notice the way Yuta fiddled around with his metal bracelets the entire day; and even then when they were sitting in the workout room after some weight-lifting and the object clung to his sweaty body.

“Why don’t you try taking them off once to try them out? One time wouldn’t hurt, right?” Jae Hyun asked.

Yuta looked up startled. His hands retreated instinctively and he quickly stood up, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat off his forehead. “Uh, I-” He sighed, seeing the look on the younger’s face. “I did try. It didn’t go so well. My powers are quite unpredictable, I fear.”

“Which is why you should keep trying,” Jae Hyun said. “Wouldn’t it be more soothing to know if they were ever too out of control, you still had a hold of the reins?”

“That didn’t make so much sense, but I get your point. I just don’t want to destroy anything,” Yuta spoke as he glanced around.

“I’m sure Johnny superpower-proofed the house.”

“He didn’t. Don’t ask how I know.”

Jae Hyun didn’t question. Instead, he began to look around the room. His eyes landed on the special weights that Johnny had set out for his super strength. “If Johnny has special things set out for my superpowers, do you think there’s something in here that could help train yours?”

Yuta bit his lip as he rolled the thought around in his mind. “Perhaps? When they first found me they made a scan on my powers. Maybe Johnny used that to formulate a training system for me? He _is_ rather smart.”

Jae Hyun got up, setting down his water bottle. He walked over to the front of the room where the holographic screen that controlled the entire room was. He began to scroll through the many training sets that Johnny had set up - which was rather hard because the only times the two had gone down there was for weights and sparring - and he finally found it. “Your powers are psionic, right?”

“Yeah,” Yuta responded as he walked over to Jae Hyun’s side to get a good look of what was on the screen.

“There’s different sets,” Jae Hyun spoke once he clicked on the psionic powers option. He began to flip through to till he hit the lowest option: Telekinesis. The two skimmed through the brief description of the course before clicking on the initiate button.

Almost instantly, the smaller individual training room inside the bigger room began to transform. And then there were only a few small objects lying around like building blocks and pencils and paper.

Yuta looked back at Jae Hyun before he walked over to the door that led to the smaller training room, and walked in. The door locked behind him and he glanced back at Jae Hyun through the glass windows with a slightly frightened look.

“Hello, Yuta. I am initiating telekinesis training: Lowest level,” A robotic voice came through as a screen popped up in front of Yuta. “To begin we must run a test on your skills so we can set up a training set for you.”

“Uh,” Yuta glanced back at Jae Hyun, “Okay. What do I do then?”

What came next was pretty fast. The computer thing scanned Yuta and ran a couple of tests telling him a bunch of information he didn’t really understand. Then he was instructed to take off his metal bracelets and to pick up one of the wooden blocks with his powers. Yuta was hesitant, but he complied anyway. He took of both bracelets and with one, began to lift the block; Instantly his hands began to release more of the dark blue substance, a small wave oozing out as he began to lift the block.

“Good job, Yuta,” The robotic voice complimented. “Now, try using both of your hands to toss the block around.”

Yuta nodded, lifting up his other hand. He was slow at first, only pushing the block back and forth between the two forces he was releasing. And then he began to make it bounce, balancing the block between his hands with ease without actually touching it. It was fascinating.

Until one of his wrists flicked too hard and the block went flying across the room, hitting the glass in front of where Jae Hyun was standing. The younger’s eyes went wide as he took a few steps back in reflex and Yuta was sure glad the glass was superpower proof. “Sorry!”

“That is okay, Yuta,” The voice spoke again. “Why don’t you try picking up two separate blocks at once now?”

Yuta frowned, looking down at the pile of blocks in front of him. He took a deep breath, and slowly brought both hands up, putting his focus on two specific blocks. But it didn’t work out the way he planned it to. One blocked lifted all the way up to the ceiling while the other smacked against the wall.

“Why don’t you take a deep breath, Yuta?” The voice spoke.

Honestly, at this point he was just fascinated at how well this whole computer worked. Johnny truly was good with technology.

“Okay, Yuta, close your eyes and envision yourself lifting both blocks,” The voice spoke, and Yuta did as told.

He closed his eyes and envisioned himself lifting both blocks. And then he did.

It was quite spectacular, really. Using his powers had always seemed so scary, but in this environment were he was learning how to work them and knew that nothing wrong could happen, he was quite fascinated with them.

So, when he walked out of the room only to find that Johnny and Tae Yong were both back and standing next to Jae Hyun, he was able to tell them he was ready for more training.

Johnny smiled, uncrossing his arms as he walked up to him to pat his back. “Good. I knew you would come around eventually. You have a lot of potential, you know?”

“You boys did good training today,” Tae Yong said with a clap. “Who wants ice cream?”

 

* * *

 

It was another long day of work for Ten at Baskin Robbins. Customers were annoying. Kids were snotty. And that group of teenagers had come in once again.

But, fortunately, it was almost closing time and there was nothing Ten wanted more than to go home and take a nice, long, warm shower. Perhaps watch the kids play video games. Maybe even join them. It had been a while since he played with the kids.

Truthfully, even though he wasn’t always the nicest to them, he really liked the youngest ones. Though he hadn’t known Yang Yang, Xiao Jun, and Hendery before this crazy incident that had them all stranded far from home, he had really gotten closer to them in the past year. It was awkward at first though. Kun, he had known for years already because they were the same age and same grade. Winwin was his best friend of ages. And Lucas, well, everyone knew Lucas.

But Yang Yang was the first he got close to when they arrived. He was just a funny and easygoing kid. Xiao Jun was a cool guy. Odd, but cool. So, the two got along pretty well from the start too. But Hendery\-- he was different.

Hendery was awkward and Ten wasn’t stupid. Contradicting to popular belief, Ten _did_ know the younger used to be his fan back home. He knew that was why he was so awkward around him, and he understood that. Still, he had wished the two could talk more. And one night, when Hendery couldn’t sleep and he walked into the living room to find Ten wide awake-- that was when they got close. He told him about his sleeping troubles and Hendery told him about his love for pink.

And as it turned out, Hendery wasn’t so hard to get along with. The two were actually very similar in different ways. And-

The bell dinged.

Ten groaned, looking up at the clock. Just thirty more minutes of this.

“Hello welcome to-” He froze as soon as his eyes landed on the customer who had just walked in, looking down at his phone as he typed something.

“Tae Yong?”

 

\--

 

Extra:

It was late at night when Yuta and Jae Hyun were chilling in the living room as usual, doing nothing but remaining quiet as the scrolled through their phones, and Tae Yong and Johnny both walked in at the same time.

"Where's the ice cream?" Jae Hyun asked.

Tae Yong barely glanced up, shaking his head before he mumbled a small, "I'm tired," and disappearing off into his room.

"I don't know either," Johnny said, "I met him at the entrance. Anyways, if you guys need me I'm going to be in my office doing some late night work."

Jae Hyun and Yuta nodded as they watched the tall guy walk into his home office before they turned to each other holding the same sly looks on their faces.

It should have only been a matter of seconds before--

"Who put a rhinestone cowboy hat in office?" They heard Johnny's voice call out.

Yuta and Jae Hyun began to snicker like two middle-schoolers who just pulled on a prank on their teacher.

Until Johnny walked wearing the hat with a grin on his face. "This is awesome!"

And their jaws dropped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what? It's my birthday! Therefore you guys get an update to celebrate with me :)
> 
> Uhm. So Taeyong and Ten know each other. I don't know what else to say.
> 
> -J
> 
>  
> 
> Y'all she's old! She's turning [redacted], Happy Birthday old lady! <3
> 
> ~Nae


	16. And Old "Friend"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That b*tch!” Ten yelled as soon as he walked into their home that night and slammed the door behind him as hard as he could, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

“Tae Yong?”

The older stood frozen. And Ten knew it was him.

“Tae Yong,” He repeated once again, this time more of a statement. A confirmation.

But the other didn’t respond. Not like he had to, anyway, since Ten could recognize him even on the other side of the universe.

And judging from how Tae Yong still stood frozen at the foot of the door, eyes not daring to look up, Ten was guessing he could recognize him too. So, he waited a few seconds - a few seconds that felt like an eternity - for the other to do something: Move, breathe, _anything_.

And eventually Tae Yong did move; He spun around in his heels and walked right out the door, leaving Ten completely dumbfounded.

Had he really just ignored him and acted like he wasn’t there? Ten’s mouth was left agape; he was left in utter confusion. “Oh hell no, you don’t,” Ten muttered as he began to take his apron off before throwing it to the side and jumping over the counter and running out the door.

To say Ten was infuriated was truly an understatement. He was more than that. There was no possible human word that could describe how he was feeling in that moment as he ran out the door and chased after the guy who ran away.

“Tae Yong!” Ten yelled twice as he began to catch up to the other. It wasn’t very hard because it wasn’t like the other was running. He was mostly just walking very fast, acting like Ten didn’t exist and like his name wasn’t Tae Yong.

So, when Ten was finally able to catch up to him, he pulled him by the wrist and shoved him up against a wall in an alleyway not far from the ice cream shop.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” Ten immediately questioned.

Tae Yong didn’t answer at first. His eyes shifted around and Ten was certain he was trying to figure out a way to escape his hold. But the other eventually settled for answering, rather sarcastically, “Buying ice cream, duh.”

Ten blinked. Was this guy serious? Was he trying to make him madder than what he already was? Because that might as well have been impossible at this point. “I mean, what are you doing on Earth?!” Ten hissed rather loudly.

Instantly the older’s eyes went wide and he looked over to the side where people were walking by, sending the two some questioning glances. “Would you keep your voice down?!” Tae Yong hissed back, though he was quieter with his voice.

Ten rolled his eyes and brought his hand up and, with a flick of his wrist, an emerald green light shone from his wrist and his powers created a wall that would disallow anyone passing from seeing them. And not once did he break eye-contact while doing so.

“Wow, your powers have improved,” Tae Yong said, obviously trying to poke at the shorter guy.

“Oh you have got to be kidding me,” Ten scoffed, “We’re on the other side of the universe and you still find a way to make my life miserable?”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Ten,” Tae Yong said, finally stopping his teasing, “You know I never purposely tried to make your life miserable.”

“I’m going to ignore that, because if I didn’t we would be here for hours, but anyway, seriously, what the hell are you doing on Earth?” Ten asked once again, this time less angry, but still as demanding as before.

“Honestly, why do you think I’m here?” Tae Yong asked with a tone that indicated that the answer should have been the most obvious thing in the universe. Which it wasn't because Ten raised a questioning eyebrow.

“What the hell am I supposed to know?”

Tae Yong almost laughed in disbelief. “You really don’t know, huh?”

“No.”

Tae Yong sighed, head leaning back against the brick wall. “I came here to find that damn crystal.”

Ten’s eyebrows raised and he took a step back, finally giving Tae Yong some space to breathe. His eyes shifted down and the older could tell he was taken back by the answer. “How did you know it was here, on Earth?”

“After your crash our planet did some research and estimates.” Tae Yong responded. “I honestly didn’t think you survived a crash like that.”

“I almost didn’t.” Ten looked up once again. He was no longer furious. Tae Yong couldn’t read how he was feeling, but he knew he was far from angry. “But that’s none of your business. The crystal is under our supervision, you have no reason to be here.”

“Ten, do you even know what the hell went down after your crash?” Tae Yong asked -- this time it was him who was growing furious.

“Yes-”

“I don’t think you do.” It was more of a statement than an assumption. “So, let me tell you. Chaos, Ten. Like never before.”

“I already said, I know.” Ten spoke through gritted teeth, a sign that he was tired and irritated. And not to forget, he was feeling too guilty to listen to this story once again.

“No, you don’t, Ten. Our planets are no longer at peace. Trade has stopped not only around our solar system, but over all of our galaxy. Peace day is no longer a thing. There are some planets that are dying because no one is willing to help each other out because of all of the tension. Do you know why my planet has not attacked yours yet? Because I convinced them otherwise. I had to come here to stop a war from occurring. And you know what's worst? The rival galaxy found out. And they want to go to war with our entire galaxy because they know we are weak. And there are even troops of theirs out there looking for the crystal.”

Ten looked back up once again. There were tears in his eyes and Tae Yong almost felt bad for being the one to dump everything on the younger.

The thing about Ten and Tae Yong was that they went a long way back. Since they were kids, really. And with how ages worked where they were from, that meant they knew each other for a very long time. That wasn't necessarily a good thing, though. It only meant they had room for a lot of bad history.

See, in their galaxy, there were many solar systems -- but one remained superior and that was none other than their own. And in their own solar system, their two planets were the most advanced and most developed out of all (which meant a lot to be the best planet out of the best solar system in the galaxy). But there was one thing that made Ten's planet superior: The crystals.

One of which he had lost.

But before all of that ever happened, Ten and Tae Yong weren't on best terms anyway. Because of their rival planets (it was more of a friendly rivalry between allies), there were many occurrences where the two found themselves competing against one another as they grew older. And in the last years before the incident, one of their biggest rivalries revolved around the mere fact that they were both performers -- representatives of their own planets.

So, of course the two didn't get along. Even when the rivalry had mostly been one-sided on Ten's part, Tae Yong got irritated at some point and by now, the two truly should have been enemies.

But seeing Ten - the strongest being that Tae Yong had ever come across - in tears? It wasn't such a good feeling.

“You don't know what happened that day,” Ten muttered. At this point he was looking away, eyes blinking fast to avoid any tears from spilling as he grew embarrassed to be in such a weak state in front of someone he hated so much.

“So,” Tae Yong spoke, no longer sounding mad, “Why don't you tell me?”

“I don't owe you any answers.”

Tae Yong sighed, leaning back against the brick wall. He looked at the younger and scanned his face, eyes tracing every single line, every single wrinkle and-

“When was the last time you slept?” Tae Yong asked.

Ten glanced at the guy, a look of almost disgust on his face, before he turned around once again. “Our kind don’t need sleep.”

“To survive, no. But it does slowly wear us down if we don’t and you-” Tae Yong paused, scanning Ten’s face once again “-look worn down.”

Ten turned around once again, a new look of disbelief and offense crossing his face. “I do not -- Mind you, Winwin tells me I look fantastic all the time.”

“Winwin is here?” Tae Yong raised an eyebrow. “Is Kun too?”

“Yeah,” Ten nodded, “They’re part of the group that volunteered to come down here to help me along with Lucas, Xiao Jun, Yangyang, and Hendery.”

“Oh, tell them I said hi -- Who were the last three?”

“Xiao Jun, Yangyang, and Hendery?” Ten asked and the other confirmed with a nod. “Oh, they’re some kids trying to get their credentials or something. They talk a little too much for my liking and the mess they make is annoying because I have to clean after them, but they make things less lonely I guess.”

Tae Yong smiled. “Sounds like you found a group-”

“Don't say that,” Ten spoke with a roll of his eyes, “you know I work alone.”

Tae Yong closed his mouth, a pitying look crossing his face as he scanned Ten. “I haven't seen you in about five years, but you're still the same. Acting like it's you against the universe.”

“I don't do that!” Ten yelled defensively. “Anyway, changing the topic, are you the one behind the metal bracelets that Yuta was wearing?”

Tae Yong's eyes widened. “How do you know that?”

“Winwin met him by chance,” Ten shrugged, not willing to give away more information than necessary, “and we assumed there might be one of your kind on Earth. I didn’t imagine it would be you, though.”

Tae Yong nodded, processing the piece of information, before he turned back to Ten with a question of his own. “By any chance, are you Doctor Death?”

Ten scoffed at the suggestion. It was laughable, really. “Please, my powers may be similar to that guys, and I may be evil, but I wouldn’t use them to taunt a weak human like Captain J.”

“He isn’t weak,” Tae Yong spoke up, sounding more defensive than he intended.

Ten raised an eyebrow, growing intrigued by the new idea that came to mind. “Are you Captain J? Or…” Ten trailed off, a sudden thought coming up to his mind before he turned to the older with a flash in his eyes, “perhaps you’re working with a group of superheroes and one of them is Captain J? Is that it?”

Tae Yong didn’t respond, but the blank expression on his face was enough to let Ten know.

But the older did say something else. “You’re behind New Heroes, aren’t you?”

Ten also didn’t respond, rather answering the question with another question as well. “Are you going to use this superhero team to find the crystal?”

Tae Yong almost smiled, and Ten didn’t understand why until he said, “Up until you said that, I thought it was in your possession. But if it isn’t, then yes. I will find it before you can.”

Ten’s eyes narrowed and he took a step closer to the older, his tongue grazing over his teeth. But the other did not back down. “Good luck then, because we, WayV, will not back down.”

“127 won’t either,” Tae Yong spoke up, giving Ten the same look, “We will win this race.”

“Then it’s a bet.”

 

* * *

 

“That b*tch!” Ten yelled as soon as he walked into their home that night and slammed the door behind him as hard as he could, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

“What is it?” Hendery was the first to ask, pausing the game they had all been playing and setting down his controller to stand up from the carpet.

Ten didn’t respond and instead kicked the wall in frustration before growling loudly and stuffing his face into his hands.

“Ten, use words,” Kun spoke, walking up to the younger and placing a hand on his back, “tell us what happened?”

The younger backed away from the touch and looked at everyone in the room. Xiao Jun and Yangyang remained seated on the floor, almost horrified by the amount of frustration he exhibited; Lucas was on the couch, his control in hand and similar look on his face; Si Cheng was on the other couch, closing his book and sending him a very concerned look; and Hendery and Kun were both standing near him, almost as if they were prepared to do damage control in case he lost it again.

Ten sighed, saying only one thing as he walked over to the center of the room. “Tae Yong is on Earth.”

“Damn.” Was all Si Cheng said as he tossed the book to the side and leaned back in his seat as he crossed his arms.

“This can’t go well,” Kun said, walking over to the couch to sit besides Si Cheng, “Why is he here?”

“He’s after the damn crystal.” Ten gritted, starting to get frustrated all over again, “and he-”

Ten turned around, hands running through his hair before he kicked the couch and let out another frustrated growl. The next time he spoke his voice began to escalate. “He’s going to use his stupid superhero team to find the crystal! He practically threatened me saying he was going to win this stupid race and I accepted! He’s going to ruin all of our plans and he will use it against me and I-” Ten paused, taking a shaky breath. “I won’t be able to go back home.”

“He can’t do that,” Hendery spoke up, walking up to the older and placing a hand on his shoulder, “We already said we would do all it took to find the humans with the powers and restore them back to the crystal so we can go home.”

“Calm down, Ten,” Kun spoke from his seat where he seemed to be in deep thought, “we need to analyze everything clearly so we can formulate a plan.”

“But he threaten-”

“Kun is right,” Si Cheng spoke up, sending the older a glance, “You know Tae Yong. He’s always saying things to try and rile you up. He didn't mean it.”

“The superhero team was no threat,” Ten shook his head, “he has Yuta on his team, he let me know he’s working with Captain J, and who knows who else he might have recruited. Something tells me he has those kids that appeared on the television last time on his team too. And that guy in the iron suit? Him too. And we-”

“We have each other.” Everyone turned to Kun. “You know our powers are much stronger than those humans. Besides the younger ones, we have all trained and developed them to almost their full potential. We can find the crystal first.”

Ten had calmed down by then, hearing all the words his friends had told him and seeing all the reassuring looks on their faces. He sighed once more, starting to go into a deep thinking process as he paced around the room.

Meanwhile, Yangyang leaned in close to Kun and asked quietly, “Who is Tae Yong and why does Ten hate him?”

Xiao Jun frowned as he backed away from him in disbelief. “Are you serious? Tae Yong is the prince of the Gladiolus. He and Ten have been rivals for years as performers, and even before then.”

“Oh right!” Yangyang snapped as he remembered the old days. “I thought they were dating.”

Kun shook his head and Hendery leaned in to hear more, frowning at the younger’s words. “There were rumors that they were dating because they had so much tension.” Kun explained. “It wasn’t true, but even I had my suspicions that they secretly liked each other at some point.”

“That can’t be possible, they hate each other, don’t you see how worked up Ten is because of him?” Hendery spoke up quickly.

Kun and Si Cheng exchanged a look and both shrugged.

“Humans have this saying that you can’t hate someone that much without liking them.” Si Cheng said.

“Doesn’t make sense, but _okay_ ,” Hendery mumbled, but did not interject further.

“I got it!” Ten suddenly shouted, bringing all the attention in the room to him once again. “I have a plan.”

“What is it?” Lucas asked.

Ten looked over at Si Cheng and a sudden smile appeared on his face. One of _his_ smiles. “Winwin is about to become our spy.”

 

* * *

 

“What’s on your mind?” Yuta asked when he walked into the living room only to find Tae Yong sitting on the couch, staring intensely at the turned off television, seemingly in deep thought.

Tae Yong snapped. His eyes flickered and his head turned to look at Yuta, a frown etched on his face as if he didn’t remember who he was or where he was. “ _Oh_ ,” He spoke softly, turning back to the television, “I ran into an old friend today.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Yuta asked, sitting down besides the older. “You always listen when I need someone to talk to.”

Tae Yong smiled at Yuta. “It’s nothing, really. I just-- perhaps I was too harsh with him.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it was because I haven’t seen him so long, maybe it was because he caused a lot of trouble while he was gone. Maybe I just missed fighting with him. But I fear I meant most of what I said even if I was mean.”

Yuta frowned, not really understanding what Tae Yong was getting at. But at that point it seemed like the older wasn’t trying to tell him what happened, but rather he was just using him as a means to sort out his thoughts. Which he didn’t mind, honestly.

“I need to speak with Johnny,” Tae Yong suddenly said. “Later, though.”

Yuta opened his mouth to say something. But Tae Yong was already asking him a question before he could. “Have you met anyone recently?”

Yuta’s eyebrows raised. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Tae Yong didn’t know how to ask the question without sounding intrusive, “I fear you only have us - which is great that you have us, don’t get me wrong - but after your loss, I fear you haven’t reached out much.”

Yuta swallowed and his sight landed on his hands. “I don’t reach out much. But-” He paused. He thought. “I guess I have met someone.”

“Tell me about this person.”

“He works at the coffee shop,” Yuta began, “but that isn’t where we met. I once saw him at the convenience store before that. He’s tall and pretty -- and there’s something strange about him. Something feels --  _right_.”

“Right?” Tae Yong frowned.

“Yeah. That day I went to the convenience store I wasn’t so sure why I felt the need to stop there, but when he walked in -- it felt right.”

Yuta bit his bottom lip. “It must sound ridiculous, huh?”

“No,” Tae Yong shook his head, “I get it. Do you know his name?”

“His nametag read Winwin, I think.” Yuta said.

Tae Yong almost sighed - almost groaned - hearing the name. He didn’t have anything against the younger, truly honestly, he loved the kid. Si Cheng had always been nothing but nice to him and they even shared some fun moments together in the past. But he was friends with _Ten_. And if he was on Earth working with him then -- all of this could be a scam on Yuta. And the boy had been hurt enough already.

But he didn’t want to believe that was the case. He wanted to trust Si Cheng. So, he forced a smile and said, “I hope it all works out for you.”

And those words couldn't have been any more sincere.

 

* * *

 

“Come on, Winwin, think about it,” Ten pleaded as he clung on to the taller, “we could have an in! And you’re a pretty good actor, so it would be believable.”

Si Cheng looked at Ten as if he were giving it some thought before he turned away once again and shook his head. “Tae Yong is working with Yuta and-” He stopped himself, not knowing what to say. He cared for Yuta? He didn’t want to betray and hurt Yuta? The older didn’t even _remember_ him.

“I get it,” Ten said, understanding his best friend more than he thought he could, “but Tae Yong is trying to get that crystal and he has better chances than us. Also, if anything, it would be a betrayal to him rather than Yuta. Just think about it, okay?”

Si Cheng nodded and went into his room, not sparing him even a glance before he shut the behind him.

Ten was left alone sighing, staring at the door. He bit his bottom lip and turned around only to find himself startled when he saw Hendery standing right behind him, staring down at him with a frown.

“Oh my gosh,” Ten gasped as a hand went up to his chest, “you scared me.”

“Sorry,” Hendery said, “I just wanted to ask you something.”

“What about?” Ten raised an eyebrow.

Hendery bit his bottom lip before speaking. “Tae Yong.”

“Oh.” Ten glanced back, eyes landing on the door that led to his room. “Uhm, let’s talk in there.”

So, Hendery followed the older to his room.

It wasn’t often that Hendery stepped into the older’s room. Actually, It wasn’t often that _anyone_ stepped into the older’s room for that matter. The only times anyone ever set foot in the room were whenever he had something important to discuss with someone. And that someone was usually Kun or Si Cheng, if anything ever even got that serious.

Ten was a private person. He liked to maintain his distance and the thing was, perhaps _too_ safe of a distance. It was funny, because even though they had gotten closer, it always felt like Ten was only at arm’s reach. Close, but never close enough. Hendery wondered if it had anything to do with his past. He knew only bits of it, but he knew enough to believe Ten was scared of getting close to others. Attachment. Commitment.

So, the older maintained a distance.

A gap that Hendery kept trying to close.

“So, what do you want to know?” Ten asked, sitting at the foot of his bed.

Hendery stood awkwardly in the middle of Ten’s room, looking all around, trying to take it all in. The bookshelf, the stereo, the tall mirror, the door that led to the closest, the door that led to the shared bathroom with Si Cheng, and the sleek black desk that contained nothing more than some art supplies that had been gifted to him for his birthday that year.

“You can sit down,” Ten said, gesturing at the chair next to the desk.

Hendery did as told. And when he was seated, he took in a deep breath. “Don’t you think you’re being too much asking Winwin to spy on Tae Yong and his team?”

Ten frowned. That was definitely not what he expected to come out of the younger’s mouth. “What?”

“I mean,” Hendery’s eyes flickered down and he couldn’t bring them back up after that, “we all know he has some sort of attachment to Yuta, the human who has suffered enough. Sending Si Cheng to spy on them sounds like adding salt to the wound -- a human expression for-”

“I know what it means.” Ten cut the younger off.

Hendery still wouldn’t look up.

“I thought if anyone would agree with me, it would be you.” Ten said. He sounded disappointed.

Hendery really couldn’t meet his gaze after that. “It just sounds like, to me, that you’re forcing Si Cheng to do something he doesn’t want to do for your own personal reasoning.”

Ten frowned once again. “What do you mean, my own personal reason?”

Perhaps Hendery was regretting this, but that didn’t stop him. “If your goal was truly to get the crystal, there are many other ways we could go about it. But stalking Tae Yong? It sounds like-”

“You heard the rumors about me liking him?”

The question alone was enough to make Hendery look up once again. Ten’s eyes were sharp and Hendery was sure he was regretting this now. But he wanted to know what the older would say next.

“I can assure you,” Ten spoke, crossing a leg over another and placing his hands atop his knee, “I have never had feelings for anyone.”

Hendery was blank.

Ten pursed his lips, debating whether he should add the next part or not before deciding upon it.

“And I don’t think I ever will. For me, feelings as such are a weakness that I will never try.”

Hendery’s eyes flickered down once again. He stared at his hands. He nodded. “Okay,” He spoke with a nod. He then stood up, hands trailing from his thighs to his sides. “I will leave now.”

Ten didn’t say anything. He didn’t even look at him as he walked up to the door. Instead, he looked up, eyes landing on the mirror that stood across on the other side of his room. And his eyes remained on his reflection and - right as Hendery’s hand met the doorknob - Ten spoke up.

“Hendery”

The younger stopped, head slowly turning around to face the older. Ten still didn’t look at him.

“Do you think I look worn down?” Ten asked, a hand trailing up his face until they met the wrinkles around his eyes. “Tae Yong said it looks like I lack sleep.”

Ten looked up at Hendery, eyes locking. “You know, our kind doesn’t need sleep to survive. But we sure need it to stay looking glowing.”

“Would you like to sleep?” Hendery asked.

Ten hummed, laying back down on his bed, eyes fluttering shut as he spoke softly, “Can you close the door on your way out?”

“Sure.”

 

* * *

 

Ten couldn’t sleep. He hadn’t slept in five years. No - that was a lie.

There were times through those years on the planet that Ten had tried sleeping. His first year or so on Earth consisted mostly of sleep. But it wasn’t like it was on his own free will. No. Of course it wasn’t. Those days were horrible and perhaps one of the major reasons he did not sleep anymore.

But point was, the couple of times a year that Ten managed to sleep he would wake up in cold sweat with heavy breathing and a horribly thumping heart. He could never remember the nightmares-- and for that he was always grateful. But the horrible feeling he would get in his gut was perhaps worse.

And tonight he would experience one of those nightmares.

He would wake up in cold sweat with his breathing rapid and heavy - he was gasping for air - and he could hear the loud thumping of his heart ringing through his ears.

But what made this experience different from the last would be the remembrance. The traces of a nightmare. An image.

Without giving himself time to process anything, Ten shot up from his bed and walked into his shared restroom, opened the second door, and walked straight into Si Cheng’s room. He didn’t even have to wake up the younger for he was already sitting up on his bed, looking at him with a welcoming expression.

Ten climbed on Si Cheng’s bed and without any words spoken, he laid his head on his lap and allowed the younger to run his hand through his hair as that light began to illuminate once again. The white mystic light shone through his palm and formed into a string that wrapped around the older’s head as his breathing began to calm and his heart rate slowed down once again.

“Do you want me to help you sleep?”

“No,” Ten shook his head slightly, “not right now.”

Si Cheng nodded and they fell into silence once again.

Ten’s eyes flickered over to the alarm clock on the side of Si Cheng’s bed. It was three in the morning. And by how quiet the entire house sounded, he assumed the boys hadn’t stayed up late to play video games or watch TV that night.

“I remembered something this time.” Ten broke the silence this time.

Si Cheng hummed in response, waiting for him to explain.

Ten slowly got up and Si Cheng retracted his hand, watching as the older sat up besides him. He couldn’t make out his expression completely because the only light illuminating the older’s face came from the opened window and the clock, but Si Cheng was sure he looked alarmed. Worried. Hesitant. Urgent.

“Remember how - when I used to be stuck in that awful place - I was in this sort of tube the entire time?” Ten asked.

Si Cheng nodded.

“Well,” Ten took in a deep breath, “in my dream that’s where I was. It was all a blur, of course, but I remember something vague. Someone.”

Si Cheng frowned, leaning back the slightest in reflex to get a good look of Ten’s face. “Are you serious?”

Ten nodded. He took another shaky breath. “I don’t think this was just a dream - a nightmare - I think- I think there was someone else with me. In another tube besides mine.”

Si Cheng looked down as he began to process everything. If Ten hadn’t been the only one they had been conducting experiments on back then, what did this mean?

“Ten, do you think - perhaps - while they had both you and the crystal and were making all those different tests to see how you worked -- do you think they conducted experiments on a human to see if they would-”

Si Cheng didn’t even have to finish his sentence for the older to look even more alarmed than earlier.

“They could have a superhuman working for them. Working against us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, that wasn't even supposed to be a reference to Superhuman. I didn't even realize until I re-read the sentence.
> 
> Also, we actually wanted to update when Superhuman came out, but we got lazy.
> 
> Aaaaaand... Another poll! We want to make a few special chapters that give more background information and are told in a more flashback way, so we want to know what you guys would be more interested in seeing first. I mean, they will all come eventually, but we just want to know what you guys are most curious about.
> 
> -J
> 
>  
> 
> We always vote and argue why the thing we voted for deserves it.
> 
> <3 Jet Lag
> 
> ~Nae
> 
> Choices:  
> A. Mark and Haechan before the Dream Team (Ft. Dream)  
> B. WayV back in their home planet (Ft. Taeyong)  
> C. How Johnny and Taeyong first met (most likely to come after WayV's story)  
> D. Doyoung's mysterious backstory (ft. Jungwoo and Gongmyung)  
> E. How Chenle and Jisung first met (ft. Dream's formation)  
> F. Renjun's extremely mysterious backstory (ft. a surprise member)  
> G. Yuta and Winwin's one year before the incident (J really wants this one (Nae says ignore this one))  
> H. Why Taeil dropped out of nursing school and didn't become a nurse (lol)


	17. One Jump Ahead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Humble yourself, Mark,” Hae Chan hissed, though his smile remained bright, and his gaze stayed on [redacted], “we’re standing in front of the man who paved the way.”

“Lele, do you have a one?”

“No, go fish, Chenle.”

“Chen, do you have a six?”

“Nope, go fish, ChenChen.”

“Le, do you have a four?”

“Dang! Why is it always me?”

Ren Jun had been walking into the small room when he froze at the doorstep and frowned at the sight he had encountered. Chenle - Chen _les_ \- six of them. At the far back corner of the room. Sitting, crammed, on the floor, playing go fish.

“Oh, hi Ren Jun!” Chenle - one of them - said when they spotted the older who remained frozen at the foot of the door, hand still on the doorknob as he stared at them with disgust.

“Uh, what is this?” Ren Jun said, eyes trailing along each Chenle -- all which smiled back at him with that goofy grin.

“No one would play with him,” Jae Min said, not glancing up from his phone as he remained with his head resting on Jeno’s shoulder in his place on the couch.

“Okay…” Ren Jun trailed off, still staring at the younger boy and his multiple versions.

“Oh should I introduce you?” Chenle asked, a flicker in his eyes. But before the older could refuse, the younger was already introducing all versions of himself. “Ren Jun this is Le, this is Chen, that’s Lele, that’s ChenChen, and this is-”

“Let me guess,” Ren Jun spoke, “LeChen?”

Chenle frowned, looking very confused by Ren Jun’s lame attempt at a joke. He shook his head. “No, this is Stephen Curry.”

Ren Jun pursed his lips. “Of course he is,” he mumbled before he turned around and headed to the other side of the room, as far away as he could get from whatever that was.

“Where are Hae Chan and Mark?” Ren Jun asked once he stood in front of Jeno and Jae Min who were still watching something on the younger’s phone. “I thought they had an announcement to make?”

“Mark said he’s on his way, but I don’t know about Hae Chan,” Jeno spoke without even glancing up.

Ren Jun sighed, ready to take a seat besides Jae Min when the front door opened and in walked Mark. And, not even ten seconds later, Hae Chan flashed into the room without a warning, startling Ren Jun who was standing not far from where he appeared.

“Do you ever knock?” Ren Jun asked the boy who was taking seat at his usual place besides the door.

“Of course not,” Hae Chan responded with a smile before turning to look at Mark who was frowning. “What’s wrong with you?”

Mark didn’t say anything, but instead pulled Hae Chan out of the room and into the hallway that led to the shop owned by Ji Sung’s dad. He glanced back inside the room, eyes landing on Ren Jun who stared at them with his arms crossed and a bored look on his face, before he closed the door behind them. “You invited Ren Jun to the meeting?”

Hae Chan raised an eyebrow, arms remaining crossed while he stayed leaning against the wall. “Is there something wrong with that? He’s part of the team now, isn’t he?”

“I thought we agreed we would keep him at a distance,” Mark responded, sounding more stern that Hae Chan would have expected.

“We can trust him,” the younger responded, “he’s totally cool.”

“Really?” Mark asked with a hint of sarcasm. “Indulge me, when did you two get so close?”

“Since he actually listens to what I have to say.” Hae Chan responded, growing tired with the conversation. All he wanted to do at this point was go back inside and talk to the rest of the team.

Mark’s eyebrows raised, taken back by the younger’s response. Was that supposed to be an attack at him? Was Hae Chan trying to say that he didn’t listen to what he had to say? He couldn’t be serious. But the annoyed look on the other’s face let him know that he was completely genuine about what he had said.

“I listen to you, if that’s what you’re trying to say.”

Hae Chan raised an eyebrow, looking back at the older. “Really? I could argue against this and win, you know?”

Mark sighed, leaning against the door. “Hae Chan, if you have something to say then go ahead and say it now. We’re getting ready to accept Johnny’s offer, but if you’re going to be acting like this then it’s going to be hard.”

Hae Chan’s eyes trailed up once more to scan the older’s face. He sighed. “Let’s talk later, then. Can we just tell the others what we have agreed on already?”

“Alright,” Mark said, turning around and opening the door so the two could walk into the now silent room.

Hae Chan and Mark both stood inside, facing the remaining five who all looked at them expectantly, ready to hear whatever announcement they had to make. Even Jae Min and Jeno, who already knew what this was about, were sitting there curiously, wanting to know more details.

Mark looked around the room, eyes locking with every single one of his friends until he shut his eyes and took a deep breath. When he released, he look around the room once again as he began to speak. “As some of you may already know, Hae Chan and I got an offer the other day from this guy named Johnny. Yes, this is the same guy that helped save us that day that we fought against Doctor Death. And yes, he is insanely rich.”

“What kind of offer?” Ji Sung asked, sounding very alert as he pushed away from his desk to look at the two better.

“He’s making a superhero team,” Hae Chan answered resulting in bulging eyes from Ji Sung and a frown from Ren Jun, “and he wants us in it as a duo.”

“A superhero team?” Ren Jun asked, expression unreadable.

“Yes.”

“Are you guys leaving us?” Chenle asked softly as all versions of him reverted back to one.

“No, of course not,” Mark instantly jumped in when he saw the look on the younger's face, “we would never leave this team. Which is why we are going to talk with Johnny directly so we can come to some sort of agreement.”

“Is it because we’re an underground team?” Ji Sung spoke up, reverting the attention back to him. “I mean, I get we’re not cool and flashy like a superhero team, but-” He looked up at the once again “-isn’t the work we do serious?”

“Of course it is,” Hae Chan was the one to answer this time, “we thought about this a lot. _Definitely_ , a lot. And with you guys we work underground. We cover things that the police can’t even reach to. But Mark said this before and I agree, that Johnny seems to have information that we don’t. And from what we know, his superhero team is going to cover a different area than the one which we cover. So-”

“We want to use our powers as best as we can for everything,” Mark finished off and Hae Chan nodded.

Ji Sung looked down once again as he took in a deep breath. He nodded and pulled himself back to his desk as he responded, “Okay. Then do it.”

“Really?” Mark asked, sending Hae Chan an uncertain glance.

“Yeah, I mean,” Ji Sung sighed, “you two have always been the ones with the more incredible powers. You’re not like us who rely more on thinking and feeling. So, if your powers can reach even farther than ours then that is amazing. After all, we started Dream to be able to help as many people as we can.”

Hae Chan pouted as he looked over at Mark, feeling a sudden wave of emotions. He turned back to Ji Sung once again before launching himself at him and throwing his arms around the younger. “Ji Sung! Our little baby is all grown up!”

Ji Sung groaned as he tried to push the older off to no avail.

“I think this calls for a group hug,” Chenle said before running up to the other two and throwing his arms around both.

Jeno and Jae Min both looked at each other before shrugging and joining in, followed shortly by Mark.

“Ren Jun, you’re part of the team now, you can join,” Jae Min called out to the other when he noticed him standing at the side, giving them all an odd stare.

“No thanks,” Ren Jun responded, looking too disgusted by the suggestion for Jae Min to ask again. “You guys are weird.”

“We may be weird,” Hae Chan started once the all began to pull away, “but we know how to have fun. One day you’ll see.”

Ren Jun rolled his eyes as if he didn’t believe the statement. But truth was, over the past few days he had spent with Hae Chan and the others, perhaps he could see a potential friendship with them. Perhaps. If the world would let it be that way.

 

* * *

 

It was a lovely day at the Suh household with the bright sun illuminating the living room through the glass walls; Tae Yong was at the balcony watering his plants; Yuta was in the kitchen reading a book at the table; And Jae Hyun was doing his homework at the coffee table in the living room. There was peace in the house and a calm and undisturbed-

“Everyone, clean up your mess! We have kids coming over!” Johnny yelled as soon as he walked into the living and saw the spread out sheets of papers Jae Hyun had in the living room and the dirty laundry that Yuta had left behind.

“Kids?” Yuta asked from the kitchen, sounding slightly disgusted by the thought of kids running around the place.

“Remember the kids Tae Yong and I saved that one time? They’re coming over so I can sign them to Suh Enterprises.”

Yuta rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Those aren’t kids, Johnny, they’re teenagers.”

“Either way, they’re tiny and they’re coming over so pick up your dirty clothes and go down to the training room or something.”

“Why do we always have to hide?” Jae Hyun asked as he began to gather his papers and textbooks.

“Because people can’t know you’re Captain J,” Tae Yong responded as he walked back in from the balcony.

“Can’t we just say we’re like the maids or something?” Yuta asked as he began to stuff all of his dirty clothes into a basket.

“Just do as told and go down to the training room. If we can sign them you won’t have to hide from them again. I want them working as soon as possible,” Johnny said as he rushed around the room, trying to make everything seem neat and organized as if it wasn’t like that all the time.

Yuta and Jae Hyun exchanged a look before shrugging and heading down to the training room as usual. Not even a minute later, the doorbell rang and Johnny was at the door, welcoming the two teenagers and telling them to come in.

“Whoa,” Hae Chan said as he looked around in awe, “you really _are_ rich.”

“Of course I am,” Johnny said, sounding a little too confident, though he didn’t mean to sound narcissistic. “Now, if would follow me this way to my office.”

Hae Chan and Mark followed the tall guy to his office, but not without getting distracted by a bunch of shiny and expensive looking objects here and there and stopping to ask Johnny what different things were and how much they cost.

“What’s this?” Hae Chan asked as came to a halt when he saw a hanging painting in the middle of the hall that looked horribly misplaced.

Johnny stopped and looked back with wide eyes. “Oh, that… uh. It’s just a painting covering a hole in the wall. Don’t ask about it.”

Hae Chan and Mark exchanged a horrified look before they went back to following Johnny to his office that was only two more doors down. The place sure was big.

“The guy over there is my helper Tae Yong,” Johnny said once they walked in and saw the other sitting at a swivel chair, legs resting on the desk as he played with a rubik's cube, before he saw them and raised a hand to wave. Johnny walked over to the desk and sat at the bigger chair besides him while the kids sat across from them.

“Anyways, you kids said you had questions about the contract?” Johnny asked.

Hae Chan and Mark nodded before the older of the two began. “As you know already, we have another team that we have been working with for a while now and-”

“And you don’t want to leave them because you’re like family blah blah, I get it.” Johnny interrupted, putting a hand up in the air to cut the younger off. “Don’t worry. If they are really that important to you, then you are allowed to keep working them. But you have to know, this group is going to be a priority.”

Mark and Hae Chan looked at each other. They weren’t telepaths like Jeno, nor were they empaths like Jae Min. They couldn’t use powers to know what they were thinking or how they were feeling, but they didn’t need that. They both knew what the other wanted in that moment.

So, Hae Chan turned to Johnny and shook his head. “No, this group can’t be a priority. Where we are needed, we will be. Our other team also works hard for the safety of the people, so we will go based on what we think is best for the public. That’s what we want to use our powers for.”

Mark nodded along, sending a small smile to the younger which was returned.

Johnny narrowed his eyes at the two, pursing his lips while his hands remained clasped together in front of him. He glanced over at Tae Yong who didn’t give him much of a reaction, before he turned back to the kids and stared at them once again. There was absolute silence in the room while Johnny thought about what they said.

Neither Mark nor Hae Chan seemed to waver in their offer and they both seemed to 100 percent stand by what was said.

Johnny let out a breath as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, giving the two one last look. There was a moment of anticipation. And then Johnny spoke. “Tae Yong, formulate the new contract.”

And not even fifteen minutes later, Johnny had the new contract in his hands and was going over the new rules for the two teenagers. “You two will be given the choice to decide where your powers are needed most, in condition that the safety of the nation is always in mind. That given, all of your free time will be spent in the training room downstairs where you two will develop your superpowers in a way that is beneficiary to both your safety, and the safety of others. You will also be required to work efficiently with each other, and with the rest of the team. Failure to complete these rules will result in a suspension from the group, or even an expulsion.”

“Sounds intense, but can we sign already?” Hae Chan asked, and Johnny didn’t know if he was too excited or too desperate and annoyed, but he slid the contract over and handed them each a fountain pen.

“Go ahead, and you don’t have to read the contract, I’m not the type to fool you like that.”

Hae Chan nodded and quickly signed before sliding the contract over to Mark who seemed more hesitant, but signed it anyway.

“Now what? Do we get some sort of initiation? An orientation?” Hae Chan asked.

Johnny shook his head. “No, but I can introduce you to the others if you would like.”

“You mean…” Hae Chan trailed off, a small smile appearing on his lips. “...We get to meet Captain J???”

 

* * *

 

Ren Jun was in the team because of Jae Min, he acknowledged. He was the one who had argued for him to be in the team, he knew that. It wasn’t easy for the others to agree to him joining, he understood. What Ren Jun didn’t understand, was why Jae Min had wanted him to join Dream so bad. Did he see some sort of potential in him? Did he like him? He hoped not. That would be awkward.

“How much longer are you going to keep trailing behind me?” Ren Jun asked as he came to a halt. He titled his head to the side so he could see Jae Min standing not too far from him, looking wide-eyed. “You’re not very subtle, you know.”

Jae Min opened his mouth to say something, but he had already been caught. So, he took a few extra long steps with those legs of his, until he caught up to Ren Jun and they began to walk together.

“So, are you going to tell me why you were following me, or should I just assume you’re a creepy stalker?” Ren Jun spoke up when Jae Min didn’t say anything.

Jae Min’s head turned to look at Ren Jun, and his eyes scanned his face before he faced forward once more. “I wanted to talk to you, but I didn’t know how to go about it, so I just ended up behind you.”

“Well, are you going to tell me what you wanted to talk about?”

“You kind of have an attitude, don’t you?” Jae Min asked, making the other snort.

“I suppose I do,” Ren Jun responded. “But seriously, what do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t know.”

Ren Jun sighed, coming to a sudden stop. Jae Min turned to him to question the halt in their walk when he saw the shorter guy turning to the little shop they stopped in front of.

“You like hot pot?” Jae Min asked, staring at the sign to the side of the entryway.

Ren Jun nodded as he walked up to the door and his hand reached for the handle. Jae Min looked back up at the sign before shrugging and deciding to follow the guy inside. When they entered the place, Ren Jun almost immediately headed to the back corner as he greeted the old lady who stood at the counter and welcomed him with his name. By that interaction, Jae Min assumed Ren Jun was a regular customer at the place and probably frequented as much as he and the other two did with Baskin Robbins. And that said something.

“Since you don’t know what to talk about, I guess I’ll start.” Ren Jun was the first to speak after he had ordered his ‘usual’ and gave Jae Min some recommendations. “Why did you insist on having me join the team?”

“I’m not the only one who insisted,” Jae Min spoke as he looked up from the dent in the table he had been playing with, “Jeno asked you to join too and Hae Chan was the deciding factor--”

“You didn’t answer my question.” Ren Jun interrupted.

Jae Min pursed his lips, eyes trailing back down to the dent as he thought about the question. And really, he didn't have to think for long. There wasn't much to think about. He just -- knew. “I don’t know. I just felt like you had to be in our team.”

Ren Jun nodded as he processed the piece of information, eyes trickling down to the same dent on the table before he looked back up at Jae Min. “A power kind of feeling, or a feeling as in human intuition?”

“Intuition,” Jae Min answered almost immediately, eyes flickering back up. “I mean, that day we first met - well, we didn’t really meet, but - I felt something. I know it was the overpowering forces of your apathy, but I don’t think I have ever felt such an overwhelming amount of emotions since--”

Jae Min cut himself off, having sudden flashbacks to the times when he first got his powers and the world became overwhelming and unbearable with the burden of everyone's emotions weighing down on him.

Ren Jun raised an eyebrow, head tilting so he could get a better look at his face. “Are you okay?” He asked.

“Yeah,” Jae Min responded, though gaze still didn’t meet Ren Jun’s. He slowly shook his head before he looked back up at him and nodded. “Yeah.”

It was a reassurance to himself, really, and Ren Jun was able to see that. No powers needed. Someone like Jae Min who smiled non-stop with all of his shiny teeth, suddenly not smiling?

“How was it when you first got your powers?” Ren Jun asked, almost as if knowing what had triggered Jae Min’s change in mood.

“Awful,” Jae Min was never to hold back on what he felt, “and frightening.”

“Overwhelming, huh?” Ren Jun asked just as the old lady came back to deliver their food. They both thanked her before they turned back to each other and returned to their conversation.

“Yeah, it was,” Jae Min said, but did not elaborate. Ren Jun figured he wasn’t going to when he saw him dig into his bowl, and it made sense. He remembered when he first got his powers, it was overwhelming. And Jae Min had powers that made him feel what others felt, which would bring him horrible feelings for sure if he didn’t know how to control them. But Jae Min, someone who spoke his mind every chance he got, not elaborating on something was odd.

Still, Ren Jun didn’t push for an answer and began to eat too.

It wasn’t even three minutes into their meal when Jae Min suddenly looked up, a small smile growing on his lips as he watched Ren Jun eat. It wasn’t even seconds later when the other looked up, question eyebrows as he gulped down his mouthful before asking, “What?”

Jae Min's lips remained shut and he hummed as his eyes traced the faint, shimmering orange that outlined Ren Jun's figure. It hadn't been long since he discovered that ability, but seeing how the color of Ren Jun's mood made him shine, even with a mood as faint as this, Jae Min knew it was already his favorite.

But the color shifted the slightest as Ren Jun grew irritated with Jae Min's silence and he was forced to repeat his question. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"No." Jae Min shook his head as a smile tugged at his lips. He spoke softly, "You're happy."

Ren Jun’s expression was unreadable, but the way he looked down at his food quickly to cut off the eye contact was enough to let Jae Min know he was bashful. He didn’t even have to use his powers to know that one.

“Shut up and eat your food,” Ren Jun suddenly said and Jae Min did as so, though the smile on his face didn’t leave. “I have emotions too, you know?”

“Yeah, but you use your powers so much, I never get to feel them,” Jae Min spoke. "I guess you must like hotpot."

“I thought I told you to shut up.”

 

* * *

 

“And down here is where you two will be training. It is the official, one and only, training room of 127,” Johnny spoke as he led the two down the stairs. “Most of your time will be spent here.”

“I don’t mean to brag,” Hae Chan spoke up, “but I’ve done lots of training for all living and breathing, nineteen years of my life. I really doubt I will need--”

Hae Chan went silent as they reached the last steps and his eyes caught sight of the two figures in the room. One, who he would soon learn was Yuta, was inside the smaller room lifting a bunch of objects and tossing them at a series of targets while a giant timer was shown on the screen behind him. But he would completely blur our of his vision when his eyes went to the other, who he would learn to be Jae Hyun, and who was standing at the center of the room kicking a punching dummy that went flying to the other side of the room after only two kicks.

“Oh my gosh,” Hae Chan spoke as his hand went to his mouth, “Is that Captain J?!”

Jae Hyun, who had been picking up the dummy he had kicked to the other side of the room, turned around at the mention of his name and Hae Chan had to hold on to Mark to control himself.

“Kids, this is Jae Hyun, known to the public as--”

“It is an honor to meet you Captain J -- Jae Hyun!” Hae Chan yelled as he pushed Mark to the side - causing the older to almost fall to the floor - and ran past Johnny to introduced himself to his favorite real-life superhero (forget that Jae Hyun was the _only_  real-life superhero). 

Jae Hyun looked down at Hae Chan’s extended hand before he glanced up at Johnny who sighed. “Uh,” He spoke as he reluctantly shook his hand, “nice to meet you, kid.”

“I have been wanting to meet you for so long, you know you’re one of my inspirations for wanting to become a superhero myself. Also, did you know I helped save you that time you almost got killed by Doctor Death? Yeah, I was the one with the arrows and stuff. Oh, Mark was there too, I guess. Anyway, it truly is an honor to be standing in front of you here and--”

“Hae Chan, you’re freaking the guy out.” Mark jumped in as he walked over to the younger’s side and pulled his hand away from Jae Hyun’s when he saw he had been shaking it non-stop for a whole minute already.

“Sorry, I’ve just never met a superhero before,” Hae Chan said sheepishly.

“I thought we were superheroes?” Mark questioned.

“Humble yourself, Mark,” Hae Chan hissed, though his smile remained bright, and his gaze stayed on Jae Hyun, “we’re standing in front of the man who paved the way.”

Mark rolled his eyes and shook his head before fixing his posture and introducing himself. “Hello, I am Mark, and I also go by Spider M, and--”

“He has webs and stuff,” Hae Chan interrupted, causing the older to send him a look.

“Well, it’s nice to finally meet the kids that saved my life,” Jae Hyun spoke with a smile and - despite how uncomfortable they were making him - it seemed genuine.

“Okay, kids, I think that’s enough,” Johnny said finally stepping in. “Let my main star breathe, and come meet my greatest potential, Yuta.”

The two kids nodded and followed Johnny over to the door leading to the smaller training room where Yuta was.

It was like the two had finally noticed the presence of the other - since they had been so focused on meeting the Captain J - because as soon as they stood in front of the glass walls, the two gasped at the scene in front of them.

Inside the personalized training room, Yuta - who had spent most of his week training day and night - was lifting a series of objects from all around the room and throwing them at their respective targets as the timer behind him counted down the amount of time he had to beat his last record. Not only that, but some balls began to shoot at him as he tried to reach his goal, and he had to lift up one hand to throw them to the side while he kept turning around the room and tossing things with the other. His blue substance, as always, surrounded his entire body and strung around the entire room until the timer went off and everything dropped and the substance instantly disappeared.

Yuta reached for a towel and began to wipe the sweat off of his forehead as he turned around to walk out the door when he noticed the audience. An eyebrow raised and Johnny signaled for him to walk out.

“Are these the kids we signed today?” Yuta asked as he looked at the two and scanned them from head to toe and back.

“Yeah, that’s Hae Chan - the arrow kid - and that’s Mark--”

“The spider guy?” Yuta asked as he glanced over at Mark. “Big fan, I really like how you swing around.”

“Thank you,” Mark said, getting giddy all of a sudden at a compliment.

“Dude, you’re so cool,” Hae Chan jumped in. “I mean, telekinesis? That’s amazing.”

“There’s more where that came from,” Yuta spoke with a smile as he wrapped the bracelets around his wrists and snapped them into place, “maybe one day I can show you.”

“That would be awesome!” Mark spoke, clasping his hands together.

“Except that Yuta doesn’t like using his powers outside of the training room,” Jae Hyun said as he walked over and placed an arm around the older.

“Why not? Your powers are so cool - I mean, they’re not as cool as mine, of course - but they’re cool,” Hae Chan spoke up, confused as to why someone with telekinesis wouldn’t want to show off.

“Doesn’t matter,” Yuta responded, “but maybe we’ll get to train together later on, if Johnny will allow it.”

Johnny nodded. “Of course. I mean, not soon because first I want you two to work on your dynamic as a duo.”

“Oh no.” Mark accidentally voiced his thoughts.

Hae Chan rolled his eyes and tossed an arm around Mark. “We got it. Mark and I work great together, right?”

“Hmm.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nae: Do you actually know how to play Go Fish?
> 
> Me: ...???
> 
> Nae: Because I don't.
> 
> Me: ... What??? Of course I do. We grew up together???
> 
> Nae: You didn't play with me then :(
> 
>  
> 
> Big announcements:
> 
> 1\. So I had the stupid idea of signing up for classes for the summer semester and now I'm literally drowning in work :( But you know, gotta get that degree. Buuut two of the classes I signed up for are only one month and the other one is full term, but online. So, until July, I'm not so sure about updates. Nae might be in charge or something, we'll figure it out.
> 
> 2\. Anyway... The results are in!!! The people have spoken, and the people want Doyoung's backstory. Lucky for you guys, we wanted that too. (Kinda disappointed Yuwin didn't win, I mean, it's not like I have a whole chapter prepared already or anything...)
> 
> So.... The next three chapters will be quite a ride. There will big - and I mean big - revelations coming up. A lot of your questions will be answered. And the first arc of the story will come to end... all leading up to Doyoung's special backstory chapter. So, idk. Strap in or something. (Buckle up???? ~Nae)
> 
> And yes, we know  a lot of people want to know about Renjun and... hmm... a lot of you are not wrong in your theories, but his story will be revealed in the second arc hehe...  
> -J
> 
>  
> 
> Y'all, I'm scared. J has been singing Prince Ali in slow motion ever since we watched Aladdin. Also  [Nae has been redacted again because she can't shut up].
> 
> ";-; Oh, I'll never be president" - Private, Madagascar 3
> 
> Thank you for voting for Taeil!
> 
> ~Nae


	18. Back to Square One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know, my cousin would really love this cat-themed place,” Doyoung said before taking a sip of his drink.
> 
> “Oh, really? How old is your cousin?” Jae Hyun asked.
> 
> “Nineteen.”

“And yes, Captain J is just as good looking out of the suit as he is in it.”

All the boys in the room went ‘whoa’ as Hae Chan indulged them with the story about meeting the superhero whom they all looked up to -- of course, except Mark who had been there when the event went down, and Ren Jun who was very unimpressed with the story and would be more interested if it was the villain instead.

“I can’t believe you actually met _the_ Captain J,” Jae Min said, practically swooning over the idea of meeting his precious idol. “I can’t even imagine how handsome he is out of the mask.”

“Very.” Hae Chan confirmed with a firm nod. “Of course, he’s not my type, but I can already imagine how crazy the nation would go over his visuals. Oh! And there was also this other guy named Yuta who is currently in training and he has telekinesis!”

“Whoa! None of us have telekinesis.” Jeno spoke, a beaming look on his face. “I want to meet someone with those powers.”

“Maybe one day we can introduce you guys, right Mark?” Hae Chan asked, turning to the guy who had remained oddly quiet throughout the whole conversation.

Mark only shrugged in response, which resulted in the younger frowning. But before he could question the silence, Chenle asked another question.

“So are you guys official superheroes now?”

“Well, we signed a contract and everything, but we haven’t made our official debut yet.” Hae Chan responded, sounding a little too confident with every word he said.

“I can’t believe this." Ji Sung spoke up, turning around in his desk to face the face the monitor once again. “You two are going to be hanging out with guys like Captain J. Unbelievable.”

“What’s so great about Captain J?” Ren Jun suddenly asked, resulting in the entire room gasping.

“I can’t believe you just asked that." Jae Min gasped, rather appalled with a hand on his chest as he leaned away from the other on the couch dramatically.

Ren Jun raised an eyebrow questioningly. “I just don’t get it. He can’t even beat Doctor Death.”

“I’m going to act like you didn’t just say that,” Hae Chan said, waving a finger up in the air, “and we’re going to move the topic of this conversation. Ji Sung, have you found anything on the gun yet?”

Ji Sung who was typing away at his desk momentarily stopped before he sighed and resumed once again. “No. I’ve searched high and low, but nothing. I’m telling you, something very shady is happening here.”

“Maybe I should do some stake-outs and see if I can find anything else that can help us." Mark finally spoke, a hand rubbing his chin. Hae Chan turned to face him.

“Just you? I’ll come along too. Remember, we’re a duo now.”

“That’s only within 127.” Mark responded, setting the trigger off.

“Seriously? Okay, what’s up? You’ve been acting weird ever since we got back.”

Mark opened his mouth to respond when Ren Jun jumped in with a question of his own.

“I’m sorry, but what gun?”

Everyone in the room went silent and an uncomfortable atmosphere filled the room. Perhaps it was that Ren Jun’s addition to the group had already been a while ago, or perhaps it was that he fit into the group well, but it seemed like they had all forgotten Ren Jun hadn’t been in the group that whole time they spent working underground. And as they thought about it now, they realized: What exactly did Ren Jun know if he wasn’t even aware of the gun that Hae Chan and Mark had found that one night they worked as vigilantes?

 _Are we going to tell him?_ Everyone suddenly heard Jeno’s voice which, in result, made them all exchange looks.

Ren Jun frowned, noticing the sudden silence in the room, and began to scan everyone's faces, noticing how not only were they all avoiding his gaze, but it seemed like they were all communicating among themselves without speaking out loud. He rolled his eyes and asked, “Are you guys seriously mind communicating without me right now?”

“ _Whaaat_? Of _course_ not,” Jeno spoke up to cover them, though he was not convincing at all and they all shook their heads in shame.

“I think we should tell him,” Hae Chan jumped in, tired of the loud silence in the room.

“We can’t tell someone who just joined the team." Mark almost hissed, trying to be quiet, though the silence in the room didn’t help with that.

“Look, guys, I know you may think you can’t trust me yet,” Ren Jun started as he got up from his seat on the couch besides Jae Min and looked around the room, “but I am part of this team now, and if we truly are a team then we have to trust each other.”

The group felt the sincerity in his message, even if it was for just a second. “He’s right guys, the foundation of a team should be love, faith, and trust. We should trust each other unconditionally because we are a team, we are one, we are dream!” Jaemin spoke up, pumping a fist up in the air.

“Wow, those speech classes are really paying off!” Chenle exclaimed with a small clap.

“You really think so?!” Jaemin said with that large goofy smile of his.

Chenle nodded as he sent the older a thumbs up. Haechan silently shook his head in the back

The room went silent once again, all looking over at Mark expectantly for his reaction. Though there had never been an official appointment of position, he was their leader and they all knew that. If Ren Jun was to know about the gun, the decision would be up to him.

“Alright.” Mark sighed as he took a seat, and Hae Chan followed along. He looked up, eyes locking with Ren Jun who, slowly, also sat back down. “Perhaps it is time we include you in all the Dream shenanigans.”

“Finally,” Ren Jun spoke, “so what is this whole gun thing about? What is this team fighting for? What are our goals? I have so many questions.”

“Before I tell you,” Mark started, “I need you to understand that all of this is confidential and we are trusting you with some top secret information and if you speak a word of this-”

“I’ll shoot an arrow through your head--”

“Hae Chan.”

“Sorry.”

“Anyway, do you understand?”

Ren Jun nodded, unfazed.

“Okay, then, do you know how you got your powers?”

Ren Jun was blank, and everyone in the room had to wonder if he was using his powers - until he shook his head slowly and his answer came as a whisper. “No.”

Mark looked back over at Ji Sung who only shrugged. “Well, when Ji Sung and I first found out about each other’s abilities we talked a lot about them and how they came to be. Later, Jae Min and Jeno joined the team and when they told us about their powers and how they came to be, we noticed a pattern. Then Chenle and Hae Chan came along and our theory was confirmed.”

“What theory?” Ren Jun asked, still rather unfazed by everything.

Mark’s tongue grazed over his lip before he leaned back in his seat. He looked over at Hae Chan who nodded before glancing at the others who also nodded.

“When this team was first created, our goal was to help people with our abilities. More underground work, of course you may have noticed. Helping people who get scammed with Ji Sung’s hacker abilities, and covering things that the police can’t even reach to with Hae Chan and my powers. But eventually we noticed everything we were fighting for - including the research revolving around our powers - all ties back to one place.”

Ren Jun raised an eyebrow.

“SM enterprises.”

 

* * *

 

It had already been a week since Doctor Death changed up his schedule and Jae Hyun couldn’t be any more alert. He wasn’t sleeping, he wasn' resting. He wasn’t focusing in class,  and wasn't doing his assignments and work. He was stumbling here and there, and every time he would hear so much as a ring coming from a stranger’s phone -- he would jump.

He was focused on all the wrong things and distracted from everything he needed to do to function properly outside of his superhero life.

Doctor Death had attacked once again the previous day, Tuesday, which he never attacked on before. And just like last time, it had been at a completely different place than the usual: A psychiatric hospital.

What kind of villain attack a psychiatric hospital? This wasn’t Gotham city, and Doctor Death was not the Joker. No matter how crazy Jae Hyun thought he was, there was no possible he could have been _that_ crazy. Or perhaps Jae Hyun had just hoped he was truly a better person than that, even if it was way deep down.

But seriously, it didn’t make any sense. What did the psychiatric hospital even do to Doctor Death? Perhaps, was his real identity a person that had once been a patient there? It made sense when he didn’t think about it too much, but if he truly was a patient there before then why would he lead Jae Hyun to that place?

Doctor Death had told him he did everything with purpose, so what was his reasoning this time?

Jae Hyun thought back to the previous day when he had been sitting on the couch with Yuta as usual, before the breaking news reportage came on the television and that reporter guy started talking about Doctor Death attacking some hospital.

It had taken the superhero a while to get there because the place was at the edge of town, but when he got there there the villain only taunted him the slightest before disappearing of like always.

The conversation hadn’t even been long but it had been stuck inside Jae Hyun’s head all night and day.

_“So, J, have you thought about what I said last time we met?”_

_“Dr. D, I think you’re going to have to tell me what you’re planning because an psychiatric hospital? I’m truly more confused than the last time we met.”_

_“Hmm. You know, if you pay attention closely to the records and history of this place, you’ll find your hint. Same with the bank. Like I said, dig deep. Go further than scraping the surface. I know you’re smart, J, you’ve shown me that which is why I trust you will be able to solve this.”_

And then the villain had disappeared without a trace.

And Jae Hyun just couldn’t understand, what did he mean by that? _Dig deep. Go further._ That was all he could hear in his head.

“Hey Jae Hyun!”

His head snapped up, eyes going wide instantly in reflex as he tensed up. Until he saw it was only Gong Myung approaching him - with now a confused stare because of his reaction - and Jae Hyun's shoulders slouched down and he sighed.

“Hey, Gong Myung.” Jae Hyun mumbled, forcing himself to look back up and smile.

“Okay, I know we’ve only been talking for a week or so, and I don’t know you all to well, but dude, are you okay? Because, no offense, you look awful.”

Jae Hyun snorted. “Yeah. No offense taken; I looked at myself in the mirror this morning and jumped thinking I was staring at a monster.”

“So, are you going to tell me what’s wrong? Or is it too personal?”

Jae Hyun looked up at the older guy once again. He still found it so funny how he had known Do Young for ages, but only recently got close to him, whereas with Gong Myung, his brother -- he had only known him for two weeks at most and they were already at a stage where they not only greeted each other whenever they walked past each other in the hall, but they were even able to ask each other if something was wrong.

“It’s just an assignment for one of my criminology classes,” Jae Hyun responded, not finding a better answer for what he was going through, “I have to solve this crime with all these clues and answers, but I don’t even know what the problem is. How am I supposed to find a solution to a problem I don’t even know? And Doctor De -- Uh, Dr. Lee, my professor, isn’t helping either. All he says is ‘Dig deep, go further, dig deep, go further,’ and it is driving me crazy honestly.”

Jae Hyun hadn’t realized how long his rant had been until he saw the frown etched on the older’s face.

“I’m sorry, we just met and I’m already dumping all of my problems on you.” Jae Hyun was quick to apologize.

Gong Myung immediately shook his head. “No, don’t worry about it. One of my jobs as a TA is to help students, so don’t feel bad for telling me your problems. Actually, it’s best to let them out instead of having them build up inside of you. Makes you feel better.”

“Sounds like something my friend Yuta would say.” Jae Hyun smiled, thinking about his older friend who had a knack for saying the most philosophical things even when not needed.

“Well, this Yuta guy must be wise.”

“Oh he sure is.”

“Well,” Gong Myung said as he stopped walking and turned to face Jae Hyun, “I don’t know much about the case you’re trying to solve, but perhaps look at the situation differently? Maybe you keep looking in one place when you should look in another. Take a step back, observe the situation, explore it a bit and maybe familiarize yourself with it, and maybe you’ll find the problem. And if you find the problem, you’ll find the solution.”

Jae Hyun nodded slowly as the words settled in his head. And suddenly an idea snapped. “Oh! I think I know what I need to do!”

Gong Myung nodded, sending him a smile. “Well, then I’m glad I could help. Now, if you’ll excuse me, the professor asked me to print some handouts before class.”

Jae Hyun nodded and waved goodbye to the older and watched him walk away before turning around and getting ready to head out, when he came face to face with his assignment partner.

“The library is that way.” Do Young said as he pointed in the direction behind Jae Hyun.

Jae Hyun took a step back in reflex due to the close proximity, but the older seemed unaffected and stared at him blankly, waiting for his response.

“Oh.” Jae Hyun's eyes fell when he realized. “We have a meeting today. I forgot we changed the schedule.”

Do Young hummed, not too interested in Jae Hyun’s words. “So, why were you talking to my brother?”

“I was just telling him about some problems I had and he gave me some advice.” Jae Hyun responded thoughtlessly.

Do young nodded slowly before humming once again. He scanned Jae Hyun’s face. “Okay. Anyway, I think we should head to the library now.”

“Yeah." Jae Hyun's response came out short and awkward. He turned around and the two began to head over to the library in an uncomfortable silence. That was, until Do Young spoke up once again.

“So, you and my brother are close now, huh?”

Jae Hyun looked back at Do Young, eyebrows raised in confusion. “Uh, no, not really. I mean, I guess we’ve become friends over the past week, but I wouldn’t say we’re close.”

“He’s like that: kind to everyone and anyone he meets.” Doyoung’s tone sounded rather harsh for a compliment but Jaehyun didn’t read into it too much. Lately, he’d been reading into things too much.

“Yeah, you’re really lucky to have an amazing brother like him.” Jaehyun responded, sounding a bit dejected but not sure whether it was from the lack of sleep or knowing he’s just like anyone else in Gong Myung’s eyes.

“Hold on, let me get the door for you,” Jaehyun abruptly said and opened the door for Doyoung.

Doyoung took a large step back, being scared that he was going to be hit by the large mahogany door. Jaehyun softly chuckled at his reaction.

“Sorry I scared you, but you do know the door opens the other way right? I’d assume a person who frequents the library like you would know which way the door opens.” Jaehyun said having his hand cover his small smile.

Doyoung rolled his eyes but nonetheless held a small smile on his face. “Let’s sit over there.” He said to Jaehyun as he pointed to a table near a large window. Jaehyun only nodded and followed Doyoung, completely forgetting that the door would make a loud thud if it were to be left to close on its own. Doyoung set down his backpack in the empty chair and took out a slip of paper from the front pocket. “Jaehyun, I need you to get these-”

_THUD!_

Jaehyun swore every breathing soul in the library turned to see who was the last person to enter the room and it was none other than himself: Jaehyun, who stood awkwardly still on his way to Doyoung.

“-books. Oh my gosh.” Doyoung mouthed and facepalmed.

Students shook their heads in disapproval; the librarian and her assistant pointed to the sign next to the door (which read, ‘Carefully and quietly close the door when you enter and exit the library to provide the best environment for your fellow peers’), and Doyoung kept on facepalming. Jaehyun nervously laughed (as quietly as he could) and bowed. He fast-walked to the table Doyoung was at and bit his lip out of embarrassment as he took his seat.

“I don’t know you.” Doyoung deadpanned.

“What do you mean? I’m Jaehyun, your partner, classmate, and friend.” In his mind the word friend rolled out a lot more natural but in real life it came out sounding too lopsided for his liking.

“You are not my friend.” Obviously he was joking.

“Why was the little strawberry crying, Doyoung?” Jaehyun asked with a teasing grin on his face as he leaned in closer, well aware that Doyoung knew the answer.

“His mom was in a jam.” Doyoung answered with a large grin on his face. Though it was a messed up thing to laugh at, Doyoung really enjoyed corny jokes. “God damn it!”

Doyoung’s loud laughter filled the large, quiet library. He laughed so hard he snorted and couldn’t breath as he banged on the table; Jaehyun soon joining in laughing at the older's laugh.

It wasn’t even a minute later that they got kicked out of the library for being so loud. They weren’t even given a second chance (most likely because the librarian was already annoyed with Jaehyun).

“Well, great now where do we go? We need some more books.” Doyoung asked as he adjusted his backpacks strap.

 

* * *

 

“Kitty Book Time? Seriously?” Doyoung deadpanned, not wanting to believe this was the place Jaehyun decided to take him to.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover, alright.” Jaehyun responded and opened the door for Doyoung who sighed heavily and walked inside with no expectations. The shop’s interior was -- very unique to say the least. It was kitten themed as the name implied; bean bags were chairs, tinsel hung from the ceiling, and there were one too many of those 'hang in there' kitty posters for Doyoung's liking.

“How can I not when it looks like-” Doyoung looked around disgusted. “- _This_?”

“Oh stop,” Jaehyun said as he took hold of Doyoung’s wrist and dragged him further inside where they would be able to find the books. “I’m sure we’ll be able to find some books.”

“Okay, fine,” Doyoung sighed once again, eyes flickering down to Jaehyun’s hand that remained on his wrist. “Can you let go off me so I can start looking?”

“Oh, right.” Jaehyun mumbled as he quickly let go off Doyoung, instantly feelings the tips of his ears go red in embarrassment.

Doyoung hummed as he began to look around for some books they could use for their project. Meanwhile, Jaehyun glanced back at the section of the shop where they could order some drinks.

“I’m going to get myself some milk tea. Do you want anything?”

“A black iced coffee will do. I need the energy.”

Jaehyun frowned at the order as he walked over to the counter.

“I’d like a small- Doyoung! What size do you want?!” Jaehyun said as clear as he could without being too loud.

“A large please.” Is all Doyoung said before going back to gaze through the aisles.

“A small milk tea and a large black iced coffee please.” Jaehyun told the lady at the counter.

The lady tapped the order into the monitor and Jaehyun took out his card to pay. While waiting for his order he sat at one of the regular-looking chairs and began to look around.

'Maybe I should search a bit while I wait for our order. I wonder what Doyoung’s doing.' Jaehyun thought as he softly tapped his fingers on the wooden table. He then got up and browsed through the areas Doyoung had been earlier.

“Order: milk tea and black iced coffee!” The lady hollered and placed the two cups on the counter with napkins. Jaehyun stood up from his seat and got the drinks, giving the young lady a warm smile as he walked by. He looked around for a raven haired boy but he was nowhere to be seen and Jaehyun assumed he was sitting on the floor reading somewhere.

“He’ll come when he wants his coffee.” Jaehyun mumbled to himself and set the two cups down on the table that could only hold so much before collapsing. Jaehyun stuck his straw in the cup and took a sip; mental note “thank the lady for making some good milk tea”.

As Jaehyun sat and drank, he began to think. He thought about the assignment, he thought about Doctor Death, and he thought about his powers. 'I wonder how other superheroes handle their powers. Do they handle them with greed or with respect?' And that one question led Jaehyun to the comics section of the shop.

“Captain America Comics #1, this cover is very... Artistic.” Jaehyun spoke to himself as he scanned through the pages of the book. He returned to the small table with an armful of comics: all of them related to Captain America.

“Hey Jaehyun, where’s my coff- Why do you have a bunch of comic books?”

Jaehyun looked up, eyes widening as if he had been caught doing something wrong. “Uh, right there,” he said, gesturing towards the dark drink. “And, uh, research?”

“Research?” Doyoung quirked an eyebrow. “Nerd.”

The two boys remained quiet for a few seconds before a smile broke out on Jaehyun’s face as soon as he realized Doyoung was joking, and the older sat across from him with a grin on his face as well.

“You know, my cousin would really love this cat-themed place,” Doyoung said before taking a sip of his drink.

“Oh, really? How old is your cousin?” Jae Hyun asked.

“Nineteen.”

Jaehyun’s eyebrows raised, wondering if it was another joke before he realized: Doyoung was completely serious. “Oh.”

“Yeah, he loves cats and has like three of them, but he’s allergic.”

“I’d like to meet your cousin,” Jaehyun said, another smile on his face.

“Well, you’ve already met my brother, why don’t you just meet my entire family at this point?”

Jaehyun knew it was a joke because when he looked up, Doyoung was smiling as he flipped through the pages of a random book. But for some reason, the suggestion still made his ears burn.

Doyoung opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could his phone began to ring -- and Jaehyun seriously had to wonder why every single time the two went out together, a phone call had to interrupt things.

Jaehyun’s eyes instantly flickered down to the phone which Doyoung was staring at with a frown, before they looked back up at him. It seemed like the older was reluctant on answering the phone before he sighed and picked it up.

“Yes, Jungwoo?”

There was silence. And then Doyoung’s eyes closed and he nodded as he listened along. “Alright, just don’t do anything and I’ll be there soon… Don’t thank me until the work is done. Bye.”

Doyoung turned off his phone and stuffed it into his pocket before he looked back up at Jaehyun. He bit his bottom lip, not knowing what to say.

“Go, I understand,” Jaehyun said, head nudging in the direction of the door. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“I’m really sorry.” Doyoung said, but Jaehyun didn’t respond. And he watched the other head out before he sighed and rested his head on the table. Why was Doyoung always running out? And who was this Jungwoo that made him run every time he called?

 

* * *

 

Jaehyun had been walking back home with his backpack swung over his shoulder, a bag filled with comics in hand, and a deflated look on his face -- when a call came in.

“Hello?” He asked, tired as can be, as he put his earpiece in.

“Where are you?” Johnny’s voice came through.

“I’m heading home. Why? Does Taeyong want me to pick up milk on the way aga--”

“Forget milk, Doctor Death is attacking again.”

“What?! Where is he now?!” Jaehyun practically yelled as he stopped in the middle of the empty street.

“You know Yuta’s university? He’s there.”

“Is Yuta there?” Jaehyun asked, already turning to head in the opposite direction.

“Yes, he said it’s crazy out there. You might want to use your super speed for this one. Do you have your board and suit?”

“Always.”

And like that, Jaehyun ran into an alleyway, set his backpack and bag down, put his suit on, and ran off.

He ran and ran, getting tired here and there, until he took out his board when he was closer to the university, and rode to his destination.

“Ah, my dear nemesis, Cap, you decided to show up,” Doctor Death said as he paused his attack.

“Of course. It’s my duty, Dr. D.” Captain J responded.

“Always so dutiful,” Doctor Death said with a smile. “Well then, let’s get started shall we?”

And with no more words spoken, Doctor Death pulled his hands up and as he brought them down, the substance around his wrists formed into some sort of purple magic shields with a green tint floating around.

“I have to say,” Jaehyun started as he launched at the villain who managed to escape his attack, “I never expected you to attack a university. A psychiatry hospital was crazy enough, but I just assumed it was because you are crazy. But this? You blow my mind away.”

“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, J.” Doctor Death said.

Jaehyun momentarily froze when he heard the words, remembering his meeting with Doyoung earlier that day when he said those--

_Swoosh!_

While Jaehyun had been distracted, Doctor Death had formed some sort of mass of energy ball and was launching it at the hero. With barely any time to react, Jaehyun tried his best to move to the side, but the magical blast still hit the side of his arm and he went flying backwards until he was able to stabilize himself on the board again. But he had flown so far away, he was floating right above the school’s courtyard at the center of the university.

“I can’t believe I actually hit you,” Doctor Death said as he flew over, almost as if he felt bad. “What had you so distracted?”

What _did_ have Jaehyun so distracted? He couldn’t remember anymore.

“Doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re terrorizing a school and that needs to stop.”

Doctor Death glanced down, looking at the students that surrounded the courtyard -- they all had their phones and were yelling loudly, cheering for Captain J or shouting that someone should do something. “I haven’t hurt anyone, have I?”

Jaehyun scoffed. “You think you have to hurt someone for this to be considered terrorizing?”

Doctor Death hummed in response. “Has anyone told ever told you you’re very _valiant_ before?”

“Has anyone ever told you you’re very _devious_ before?”

“Is being devious such a bad thing if it gets you what you want?”

“It’s immoral.”

And while Captain J and Doctor Death continued their banter above the courthouse, standing on the ground somewhere in the crowd, was Yuta, staring up in amusement.

“Dang, he kind of looks cool fighting up close,” Yuta mumbled to himself as a thought came up to his head, “maybe I should film for Johnny and Taeyong.”

And as he thought, Yuta did. He whipped out his phone and began to record the scene as he narrated what happened up in the air. “And here we have Captain J getting his ass kicked-- whoops, spoke to soon. He just punched Doctor Death and did a counterattack. Oh no.”

Just as Yuta said that, Doctor Death launched at Captain J and took him all the way down till they landed in the middle of the courtyard, and everyone scooted back in fear they would get hit, while still remaining close to film and witness everything.

“Get him Captain J!” Yuta heard some random guy call from the side.

“Doctor Death for the win!” A girl shouted from the opposite side of the courtyard.

And right at that moment, Jaehyun flipped their position and got ready to throw a fist, but Doctor Death was swift and was able to kick him off, bringing his hands up once again so the magical shields reappeared.

“Oh this is getting intense.” Yuta narrated. “This fight is really close, who knows who will win? Captain J is preparing his board to shield any attack -- Doctor Death is shooting those magic swooshy thingies! Defend yourself Jae - Captain J! Oh wait! Turn of events, Captain J was able to deflect the attacks and just did a super speed thing to throw Doctor Death off.”

Yuta took in a deep breath. Talking this much was tiring him, but it was all so thrilling and exciting; Being able to watch a fight scene like this was truly a ride, and Yuta couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to _be_ in the fight scene. But he didn’t have much time to think about it because Doctor Death had been able to make another attack on Captain J and successfully pinned him down to the ground.

“Oh my -- he has him,” Yuta mumbled as he zoomed in on the scene to get a closer look. But when he zoomed in, something wasn’t right. Jaehyun was breathing heavily, looking as if he was just waiting for Doctor Death to do something, but the villain was preoccupied with something else.

Doctor Death was scanning the area -- The crowd. _For someone_?

“What?” Yuta asked as he zoomed out and looked in the direction the villain was staring at. And there he saw it.

Yuta gasped. He blinked. And the sight was gone.

But he was so sure he had seen someone walking through the crowd, giving an ‘okay’ sign before signaling to leave. And when Yuta turned back to Doctor Death, it was subtle, but it was there - clear as day - a slight nod.

And then the villain looked back down at a hero, smiled and said something that no one else but Jaehyun would hear, and pushed himself off before disappearing as if that was his cue to go.

* * *

 

 

 

**Extra:**

It was late at night when Yuta and Jaehyun were walking around the empty street, the flashlights on their phones turned on as they searched through every single alley they passed by.

"Seriously, Jaehyun? Why did you think it was a good idea to leave your things unattended here?" Yuta asked as he flashed the light behind a trashcan.

"Spider-Man does it," Jaehyun responded with a pout.

"First, he got his backpack stolen. Second, you're not Spider-Man."

"Whatever, just keep looking. I'm sure they're somewhere around- oh!"

Yuta turned around to see that Jaehyun was bending down by his things behind some random trash bin, further into the alleyway. "That is literally disgusting." Yuta gagged when Jaehyun picked up his smelly backpack and swung it over his shoulder before he reached down once again to grab the bag with comics.

"I need a raise." Jaehyun grumbled, annoyed that he had to leave his things unattended to go fight Doctor Death earlier that day.

"We don't get paid."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, looking up the comic Nae used: Which one is it?
> 
> Nae: The one with the nazis on the cover.
> 
>  
> 
> This is like 1/4? 1/5? We're still typing up the final chapters to the arc, but we are mad excited. I'm still busy, sadly, but typing up these chapters is coming so easily. I think it's been like a week since we last updated? I'm not sure, but we wanted to get a chapter before Nae's birthday. And yes, we will update on her birthday next week. Happy birthday to Haechan and Taeil, we love them very much. Don't Need Your Love was amazing, and continue streaming and supporting all WayV, Dream, and 127 releases!
> 
> (sidenote: I just realized all of our extras are YuJae being dumb together??)
> 
> Also, the title of the chapter is because of a reference in this chapter to the title of the first chapter ;)
> 
> -J
> 
>  
> 
> If you have made a renvy AU please leave it in the comments or message me. I repeat, if you have made a renvy AU please leave it in the comments or message me. HRVY is my bias. Happy birthday Taeil and Fullsun! Also, y'all better be ready for some more dojae because that's all y'all will be getting.
> 
> (I promise, she doesn't actually mean that -J)


	19. Holmes and Watson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How would you feel about being the Watson to my Sherlock Holmes?”
> 
> “I feel underestimated.”

“How did you get out before me?” Jungwoo asked when he walked out of the building through one of the backdoors, only to find Doyoung already leaning against the brick wall, waiting for him.

Doyoung pushed himself off the wall and turned to face the younger. He scanned him up and down and the other was confused for a moment before he realized and mumbled a small, “Oh,” and instantly transformed back to his normal identity. “Right.”

“Did you get the files?” Doyoung asked once Jungwoo finally looked like Jungwoo.

The younger smiled. “Of course, thanks to Doctor Death’s distractions I was able to get the prints.”

“You’re lucky that I am also in need of the files.” Doyoung spoke out, instantly snatching the folder from Jungwoo. He began to flip through, eyes scanning every single document. “Damn. I knew the funds distributions were fishy, but I didn’t think it was this bad.”

“Really? I thought it was pretty obvious with the way the school is going. In fact, I think there is more than this. Most likely document fund transfers that I couldn’t find.”

Doyoung nodded, closing the file and handing it back to Jungwoo. “Make a copy for me.”

“No need,” Jungwoo said with a shake of his hand. “You take it and make me a copy. You did well today. You deserve the first look.”

“You’re right, I deserve it,” Doyoung said, pulling back the file. “I was in the middle of my meeting with Jaehyun when you called and I had to drop everything to come here.”

Jungwoo’s entire demeanor changed when he heard those words, but it seemed like the older didn’t notice the drift. “You were meeting that Jaehyun guy again?”

“Yeah, he’s my partner. We were working on the assignment at this book store when you called.”

“You and that guy meet often these days.” Jungwoo hummed. He remained silent for a while, thinking deeply to himself before deciding to speak up again. “Are you sure you don’t like him?”

Doyoung looked at Jungwoo once again, finally realizing where he was going with this. And he knew what answer the younger wanted to hear, but he couldn't bring himself to answer the question.

“Jungwoo, you and I-”

“Stop, I don’t want to hear it. Let’s just focus on what it is inside that file.”

“Okay.”

 

* * *

 

“SM Enterprises.”

Renjun didn’t say anything. He was unresponsive.

The entire team exchanged looks of worry, before they all turned to face him once again.

Realizing they were all waiting for a response, Renjun took a deep breath and finally opened his mouth to say the only thing he could think of in that moment. “Is that why you were all suspicious that one day, Jeno? Because you guys were trying to break in or something?”

“Yes.”

Jaemin was the one who answered.

“But -- I work there. I don’t understand.”

“We realize it may be hard to understand at first,” this time it was Haechan to speak, “but we all have gone through it. We have all gotten our powers through SM Enterprises. We have all had to go through the struggles of dealing with the powers the first time they appeared. And we have all joined this team and found out our ties. It’s okay.”

“I just can’t believe it.” Renjun was mumbling in disbelief, a slight shake of his head, his sight not leaving his hands. “I’ve interned there since -- oh my gosh. Since around the time I got my powers.”

“Then that’s how you might have gotten your powers.” Mark responded. “I got mine at the SM Laboratory on a science trip in high school. Jaemin got his powers when he went to Han river near the old factory. Haechan got his when he went to the hospital owned by SM Enterprises. Jeno, similairy, got his volunteering with his cousins at the psychiatric hospital. Chenle at the airport, part of the SM Enterprises airlines. And Jisung on the same field trip as mine, but years later.”

“This is so crazy,” Renjun said in disbelief as he shook his head. “Can one company seriously do that much damage? How even? I don’t understand.”

“It’s hard to understand,” Jisung jumped in, “but I have done the research and there is a lot of shady stuff going down with that enterprise. All their different branches, franchises -- there are so many different reports and many of which relate to the ways we got our powers.”

Renjun sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned back on the couch to take it all in. “How is it possible for one company to be everywhere and be able to do this? What have you guys heard of besides this?”

“Many things. One thing that led us to uncovering SM’s secrets, though, was their reputation for scamming.”

“Hmm, I remember that,” Mark said with a nod. “Especially their bank. We had to hack in and do some undercover stuff to figure out how much they were stealing from the people.”

“Oh! And their university funds!” Jeno jumped in, sounding a little too excited for the topic at hand. “The sponsors and funds they get for their student’s scholarships go to higher up people -- and they also go to their laboratories so they can continue doing their shady research.”

“Don’t even get me started on their shady research.” Haechan groaned. “We could literally go on about that for hours.”

“We even heard about some shady stuff going down in their different hospitals. Just the overall health branch.” Chenle also jumped in as he shook his head.  Jeno and Haechan both snorted. “They have no morals.”

Renjun went silent once again, completely freezing everyone out as he thought. Neither Jaemin nor Jeno could feel or hear what he was feeling, and they exchanged worried glances. But then he spoke up.

“So, how do we stop them?”

“Well, my dear friend Renjun,” Haechan stepped up, “that is what our current mission is about. Hacking into SM and exposing their dirty secrets. But for that, we have to actually get in.”

“That’s going to be very hard,” Renjun said, being an intern at the main branch and knowing much about how the company functioned. “And what about the gun?”

“Oh, that,” Haechan said, “one night, Mark and I were out fighting crime and stuff, the usual, and we found these bad guys and I was super cool, you know the same old, and they pulled out these weapons. Which, you know are illegal. So, I took the gun so we could do research, but I searched and searched and couldn’t find anything. Even Jisung, our hacking prodigy, couldn’t find anything.”

“That’s crazy,” Renjun spoke in astonishment.

“Trust me, we were shocked at first too.” Jeno said.

“All of this is so hard to believe, but I am thankful you guys have welcomed me into the team.” Renjun looked around the room, glancing at every single member of the team. And he smiled the slightest.

“You’re a dreamie now. We all work together.”

 

* * *

 

“Jaehyun! Jaehyun I have to show you something! You won’t believ\--”

Yuta stopped shouting as soon as he opened the door and walked in, only to find Jaehyun sitting in the middle of his room, face and ears red, as he faced the wall. Completely still.

“Uh, are you okay?” Yuta asked, still holding on to the doorknob with one hand and phone with the other.

Jaehyun nodded as he slowly began to snap out of his daze. “Yeah,” he mumbled, though his face and tone said otherwise. “I was just thinking about, uhm, what Doctor Death said…”

“Oh right!” Yuta exclaimed, instantly rushing to Jaehyun’s side to gossip about the previous events. “What did he say to you? I was wondering about it all through class. I thought about just leaving, but I don’t think my professor would have liked that, so I had to wait until class ended so I could come home and ask you and-- okay, why is your face red?”

“It’s embarrassing!” Jaehyun said, shaking his head in strong refusal.

“Okay, it can’t be that bad,” Yuta said with a roll of his eyes, “what did he say? Did he call you a loser for always getting your ass kicked? Because, come on, it’s not that big of a deal. I’m sure there are plenty of heroes who have lost many battles in a row before winning.”

“It’s not that,” Jaehyun said, finally calming down. “What he said -- I, uh. He--. I can’t say it.”

“What is it? Just spit it out.”

"He said 'see you later.'"

Yuta raised an eyebrow, wondering if something about this had deeper meaning. "Okay, and?"

"And then he winked."

Yuta went dead silent, staring at Jaehyun with a wide open mouth and equally wide open eyes.

Jaehyun closed his eyes, knowing exactly what Yuta was going to say.

“This is exactly like chapter seven of that fic you were-”

“Don’t mention it!”

Yuta suddenly burst into a fit of laughter and Jaehyun sighed, leaning against his bed and covering his face with his hands. “I don’t get what the point of that was. Was he trying to make me flustered so he could escape?”

“Why would he want to escape? No offense, but he could have demolished you if he wanted to.”

Jaehyun rolled his eyes. “Okay, whatever. My point is, what the hell was he trying to accomplish with that?”

“I have no idea, but,” Yuta gasped, hand going up to his mouth, “what if he likes you?”

Jaehyun was appalled. Completely and utterly one-hundred percent disgusted. A villain - his nemesis - liking him? Yeah, Yuta had read one too many fanfictions.

“You are literally crazy.”

“Didn’t that happen with Batman and Catwoman though? It can’t be that far fetched.”

“First, Batman and Catwoman aren’t actually real. And second, yes. It is.”

This time it was Yuta’s turn to roll his eyes. “Okay, moving on since you are clearly annoyed with this conversation -- I filmed your entire fight scene and you will never guess what I found.”

“What did you find?”

Yuta looked around the room before standing up and walking to the doorway to look into the hallway. He turned back to the younger. “Where are Johnny and Taeyong? I think they need to hear this too.”

“They went out grocery shopping. We ran out of toilet paper again.”

“Okay, then I’ll just show you then,” Yuta said as he walked back to the younger and sat down besides him. “Look at this video I filmed.”

Yuta then turned on his phone, opened up his gallery, and instantly clicked on the latest video. Captain J and Doctor Death appeared on the screen seconds after, talking up above the school’s courtyard. Yuta skipped most of the video, going directly to the end where Doctor Death looked up at the crowd and that shady guy gave the okay sign before disappearing off.

Jaehyun’s eyes widened as he watched the video closely and snatched the phone from Yuta’s hands to get a closer view. “This can’t be real,” He mumbled as he replayed the scene, “Doctor Death working with someone? Is that what that was?”

“Trust me, it’s real. I saw it with my very own two eyes.” Yuta shook his head. “But I can’t believe it either. I thought Doctor Death was a solo guy. But working with someone else? Someone that we were able to catch on camera?”

“If he really is working with this person, we have to find him as soon as possible.”

“We have to show this to Johnny so we can use his technology to find this person.”

“Jaehyun.”

“Yes?”

“What is that?”

Jaehyun looked up at his wall where Yuta was looking at and mumbled a soft, “oh that,” when he saw his giant board with all the clues Doctor Death had dropped. The entire wall was just pictures and sticky notes with written hints, all tied together and interconnected by strings and thumbtacks. “Yeah, I made that the other night when I couldn’t sleep because I kept thinking about Doctor Death’s words.”

“That’s sad.” Yuta said, getting up to have a closer look. “But smart.”

“It would be smart if it actually helped in anything,” Jaehyun said, also standing up to walk over to Yuta’s side. “But so far, I’m back to square one. Nothing. Nada.”

“I’m sure there’s something you can do to better understand the hints.”

Jaehyun hummed as he began to think. Suddenly he tuned  back at Yuta, a look of alarm on his face. “You know what? Gongmyung said something that gave me an idea earlier!”

“And?” Yuta asked raising an eyebrow, waiting for further elaboration.

“How would you feel about being the Watson to my Sherlock Holmes?”

“I feel underestimated.”

 

* * *

 

“A psychiatric hospital, Jaehyun?” Yuta asked as he looked up at the building, confused as to why he had to drive the two of them to the other side of town to end up here. “Why?”

“This is where I fought Doctor Death the other day.”

“And we are here because?”

“Because he told me to dig deep, and Gongmyung told me to familiarize myself with the situation. So, my dear Watson, are you ready to help me?” Jaehyun looked over at Yuta who only shrugged in response, and with that, the two walked in.

“So, what’s the game plan?” Yuta asked as they walked up to the counter.

“Plan?” Jaehyun asked, suddenly realizing one crucial part to this whole thing that he forgot: An actual plan that would let them know what to do once they got there.

“Yeah, Jaehyun, we need a plan! You can’t just walk into a hos -- Smile we’re at the counter.” Yuta responded, the second half said through gritted teeth.

“Hello, he’s Japanese!” Jaehyun said to the lady at the counter as he pushed the other forward.

“Konnichiwa, you want to see some magic tricks?” Yuta asked hurriedly with a forced smile plastered onto his face.

“Okay, sure,” The lady said awkwardly, sending Jaehyun a glance that made him think she thought Yuta was perhaps crazy.

Yuta took off one of his metal bracelets and brought his hand up. He glanced at Jaehyun who nodded before looking at a water bottle on the counter. He shrugged and brought his hand up, instantly levitating the bottle. The lady gasped and her eyes went wide before she -- oh. She fainted.

“That was a lot easier than I thought it would be,” Jaehyun said, looking at the lady that was passed out on the chair.

Yuta shrugged. “What can I say? My powers are magic.”

“Okay, I’m going to go scan the area and see what I can find, and you stay here and make sure she’s okay and maybe take a peek at that computer for any important files.” Jaehyun explained the plan that came up to his head less than ten seconds ago.

“Okay,” Yuta said with a slight nod and hopped over the counter to check on the poor lady.

Meanwhile, Jaehyun did a turn and found a map of the place. Therapies, wards, etc. But there was one section that caught his eye: An unlabeled branch. So, Jaehyun turned and headed for that hall. There were many empty rooms he passed by, nurses here, patients there, but nothing interesting. Nothing that could be of any use to him.

And as he turned a corner and sped up his pace (he was worried the lady would wake up soon and call security or something), he wondered: What exactly was he looking for? Jaehyun wasn’t very sure why he decided going there was the right way to go about the investigation, and he wasn't sure what the goal was. All of this was impulse. Spur of the moment.

But he just had a _feeling_. A feeling that what he would find something useful. And he was sure he would know what he was looking for when he found it.

With that in mind, Jaehyun took another turn, this time reaching a darker and longer hallway

It was like a scene out of a movie; a horror movie to be exact. Perhaps he’d find something at the end of the long, and dreadful hallway, or a dead end. Either one was very likely. It was odd, this area of the wing was very secluded compared to the rest of the place; there weren’t any maps nearby either - unlike at the front - which was very odd, but Jaehyun didn’t poke on that topic too much. Not when he was so close to finding something. Yes, he was so close he could feel it, just a step more and-- the door was locked. Jaehyun pulled on the handle but sadly, the door was locked.

“This can’t be happening,” Jaehyun mumbled as he began to walk around, looking for another door that could lead him inside. _Think Jaehyun, what would Captain America do?_

“Okay, I think Captain America would -- Oh who am I kidding? I have no idea what he would do.”

So, Jaehyun turned around and continued walking down the hall, looking for another doorway, another room, anything. But all the doors he found were locked, and all the empty rooms he stumbled upon were -- empty.

Until, that was, he turned one final corner, leading to a dead end. Though, it wasn’t actually a dead end. It was one door. Just one, long, metal door. And even though he was 99% sure it would be locked, it was that remaining 1% that had him trying to open the door.

And he succeeded.

The door was heavy, but Jaehyun also had super strength. And when he pulled the door open just a crack, his first instinct was to peek inside to make sure there was no one else there. From the angle he was looking, there was no one, so he pushed further and further until he stood inside in awe.

The room was completely white and filled with a series of metal cabinets with glass frames to look inside. The ones at the far back were filled with different colored chemical tubes, followed by a few syringes on the counter by it. The ones closest to Jaehyun contained different pill bottles with different labels: Lithium, Serotonin, and--

Jaehyun sighed, slamming a fist against the wall. He had made it all the way over here for what? This? Everything seemed normal. Nothing seemed out of place. There was no secret lab where an evil scientist was performing crazy and illegal tests on clients. There was no secret lair where illegal drugs were being stashed away underground. Everything was absolutely normal and Jaehyun was a fool for thinking Doctor Death could actually have been leading him to something.

Except, as Jaehyun’s hand ran through his hair in desperation and his head tossed back, something in his peripheral vision caught his attention: A lock. One at the far back of the room, holding the one metal door that did not have a glass window to look inside, locked.

Jaehyun frowned and began to walk across the room, when he felt a sudden vibration coming from the left side of his jeans. He reached inside his jean pocket and pulled out his phone. Yuta was calling him.

“Hey, what’s up?” Jaehyun asked, still inspecting the lock.

“Yeah, so I was looking through some files on this computer, and you know I sort of suck with technology which really put me back, so all I could investigate was the list of patients, the list of guests, and the list of workers. So, I printed them out and long story short, while I was getting the papers, the lady woke up and called security and I had to run, so now I’m hiding in one of the restrooms.”

“Yuta, what the hell?!” Jaehyun hissed when he heard the older’s explanation. Immediately, he turned around and began to head out the door, walking down the hall and making a sharp turn and running straight into something.

Jaehyun’s hand went up to his head as he looked up and -- oh no.

“Gongmyung?” Jaehyun asked when he saw his partner’s older brother standing in front of him, giving him an equally confused frown.

“Jaehyun? What are you doing here?”

“Uh,” Jaehyun’s eyes shifted around as he tried to come up with an excuse, “I could ask you the same thing.”

“I volunteer here. So, why are you here?”

Jaehyun bit his bottom lip and he began to look around, avoiding Gongmyung’s gaze. He was not the best liar - he was awful - and he didn’t want to tell him the truth because, how do you tell you possible crush that the reason you are at a psychiatric hospital is because you’re secretly a superhero and your arch nemesis, the villain you always fight against, told you the place would be a hint?

“I have a friend,” Jaehyun started, hoping his ears wouldn’t fail him this time, “who is suffering because of misophonia. Yeah, it is like real bad. He slapped me yesterday and said it was because I was breathing too loud. But I lost him and now I can’t find him.”

Gongmyung didn’t look like he was buying it. He was giving him a suspicious look. Jaehyun mentally cursed himself for being a horrible liar and he blamed it all on his stupid ears that had no sense of control and turned red at any glance directed in his general direction. Or maybe, Gongmyung just didn’t know what misophonia was.

“Okay.”

“What?” Jaehyun asked in reflex, and once again mentally cursed himself for being so dumb. “Oh, I mean, yeah. So, do you think you can lead me to the restroom? I think my friend said he’s in one of them.”

“The only restroom on this side of the building is at the second left turn of the next hallway,” Gongmyung said, “I’ll walk you over there.”

Jaehyun nodded and tried his best to contain his smile and the red shade of his ears, which proved to be even more impossible than he thought. But he didn’t mind so much, and stayed happily by Gongmyung’s side as they walked down the hall and then turned the corner.

“Yeah, I’ve been volunteering here since I turned eighteen. Doyoung and my cousin joined me for a while, but after some time they stopped.”

Jaehyun almost perked up at the mention of his project partner. To be honest, he was curious about him. He had known Doyoung for a while now, and they were certainly closer now than they were before, but Jaehyun knew he had only scratched the surface with him. He felt like Doyoung was someone with a lot of depth, and Jaehyun wanted to get to know him more. He wasn’t sure why, but he did.

“Why did he stop?” Jaehyun asked out of pure curiosity.

Gongmyung stopped walking and turned to face Jaehyun, resulting in the younger freezing.

“We’re here.”

“What?”

“The restroom,” Gongmyung said, and that was when Jaehyun finally turned around and saw the restroom sign.

“Oh,” Jaehyun mumbled, slightly disappointed their conversation had come to a stop.

“Jaehyun! It _was_ your voice I heard- oh? Who’s this?” Yuta’s voice came instantly when the door to the men’s restroom opened.

Jaehyun looked at Yuta, and then at Gongmyung. And the first thing he wondered was if he should really introduce the two. Yuta had a tendency of talking too much. But he realized the longer amount of time he spent not saying, the more awkward the atmosphere got. So, he introduced the two.

“Yuta, do you remember when I told you I have a partner for an assignment named Doyoung?” Yuta nodded. “This is his older brother Gongmyung. He’s a TA who volunteers here.”

“Oh,” Yuta said with a slow nod, his eyes glancing over at Gongmyung before looking back at Jaehyun to give him a _look_.

“And Gongmyung, this is Yuta. We live together along with some other friends. I told you about him before.”

Gongmyung nodded and shook the hand that Yuta held out to him. “It’s nice to meet you, Jaehyun has told me you are very wise. And I am sorry about your misophonia case. This place has a lot of great therapies you could try that would help you with the rage it makes you feel and it is very nonjudgmental too.”

Yuta nodded slowly, an obviously confused look on his face. He glanced over at Jaehyun who winked. He smiled back at Gongmyung and thanked him for the offer. “But uh, is there a back exit, turns out I forgot I have that thing and we have to go, and we parked in the back.”

Gongmyung frowned, sending Jaehyun a glance. But he didn’t question any further, and showed them another exit they could go through that led to the back parking lot. Jaehyun thanked him for his help, and the older assured him it was no problem.

And when Jaehyun and Yuta were alone, walking through the parking lot…

“Don’t.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“No, but you were going to.”

Yuta smiled, nodding to himself as if Jaehyun had just revealed some valuable information. Which he did. “So, you like him?”

Jaehyun’s face flushed, and that was enough a sign for Yuta to continue teasing him. “You know, I think you two would be very cute together.”

“I don’t like him, I just--” Jaehyun paused when he realized he didn’t have an answer. “Okay, maybe I like him the slightest, but I’m still trying to get to know him. Anyway, can you just tell me what you found? Because I found nothing.”

Yuta nodded quickly and took off his backpack. He unzipped it and pulled out a stack of papers that he handed over to Jaehyun. “I printed the list of patients, visitors, and workers/volunteers. They were all long lists, so I’m not sure if I got them all because I was standing there for fifteen minutes when the lady woke up, and I’m pretty sure it was only halfway done.”

“That’s fine,” Jaehyun mumbled as he began to flip through the pages, “at you least you got more than I did.”

“But Gongmyung’s name should be there, right?” Yuta asked, another sly smile appearing on his face. Jaehyun gave him a shove, but didn’t say anything else. He focused on flipping through the list of volunteers, scanning for one specific name: Doyoung.

But the list only went as far as two years, and Doyoung’s name was not in sight. Gongmyung’s however, was there multiple times, as expected.

“Isn’t it so convenient that the guy you like showed up at the place your arch-nemesis led you to? Like fate?” Yuta asked.

Jaehyun flipped the pages back to the front and passed them back to him, shaking his head. “I don’t think so. I mean, maybe. I don’t know.”

“Your ears are turning red again.”

 

* * *

 

“So you fought against Doctor Death today,” Johnny said, looking at Jaehyun before he turned to Yuta and pointed at him, “you recorded and saw someone walking away suspiciously as if they were working with Doctor Death?”

Jaehyun and Yuta both nodded like a pair of five-year-olds talking to their teacher.

“And then you both went to an psychiatric hospital because a friend told you to familiarize yourself with the problem? And you got caught and had to escape?”

They nodded again and Johnny was already growing gray hairs from stress.

“It’s settled. I can’t leave you two alone again.”

“In defense, I think we handled all situations very nicely,” Yuta said with a shrug.

“Can I look at the video now?” Johnny asked, extending his hand out.

Yuta pouted and took out his phone and handed it over.

Johnny tossed the phone over to Taeyong who caught it and hooked it up to the computer. He typed in a series of things and the recording flashed out in a hologram.

Johnny crossed his arms and frowned as he watched while Jaehyun and Yuta stood behind him nervously. “Yuta, we need to talk about your camera skills, because they suck.”

“Just keep on watching.”

They all remained silent as they kept on watching the recording. Doctor Death and Captain J fighting here and there, kicking each other around, falling to the ground, going back and forth with the push and pull and -- the time finally came. Johnny told Taeyong to slow down the video and fix the pixelation and -- it was clear as day.

In the crowd, someone was walking through, sending a signal to Doctor Death, holding some files, and then the villain nodded before disappearing.

“I can’t believe it.” Johnny spoke in awe. He told Taeyong to replay the part and once it was over, he walked over to his desk and began to type some things in. “The only way to find this person would be to make a search to see if anyone in the government matches him, but I’m no hacker and it could take days before we could find a result.”

“Why don’t we start with looking for someone that attends SMU?” Jaehyun asked.

“Already on it. But chances are, if they had to do all of that to find those documents, they most likely don’t attend the school. Still, it’s good to look.”

“So what now?” Yuta asked. “Do we go into the office and see if we can find what was stolen?”

“It’s pointless looking for something if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Especially if it isn’t there anymore.”

“Sounds a lot like what we did today,” Jaehyun mumbled, still angered with the mere thought of all they went through to only find nothing.

“What I want you two to do is focus on your academic work and if needed, fight Doctor Death here and there. But don’t let yourself think too much about this. It can’t control your life.”

Jaehyun and Yuta both nodded and headed to their respective rooms.

But despite what Johnny told them, Jaehyun couldn’t stop thinking about it. Why was Doctor Death so ominous? Why couldn’t he be forward with his plans? If he really did do everything with reason, then why? Also, what was behind that lock? And how funny was if that Gongmyung happened to be there when--

Wait. That hallway was completely empty. All doors were locked, and they seemed like they had been locked for years. And the doors that were open led to rooms that also looked like they had been left empty for years. Everything there looked abandoned. The only thing he had found there was the smaller hallway that led to that room. So, why exactly had Gongmyung, who was only a volunteer, been there?

Perhaps Jaehyun was on edge. Doctor Death had him going back and forth with all of this, it was getting to his head. He must have been paranoid.

Shifting to his side on his bed, Jaehyun closed his eyes, deciding to leave everything for tomorrow. A long day that was to come.

 

* * *

 

“So what is the plan for today?” Jaehyun asked, reaching over the breakfast table to grab a red apple.

Johnny momentarily stopped his typing and looked up from his laptop. He glanced over at Taeyong who was writing in a journal, and then at Yuta who was finishing up his bacon, eyes shining in delight. “Seeing as how you did so much yesterday, why don’t you take a break today? Get ahead in your school work or something. Go out shopping and buy yourself something nice. Whatever it is that people your age do.”

“First of all,” Yuta said in between licks of his fingers, “we’re the same age, and Jaehyun is only two years younger. And second of all, speaking about shopping, Jaehyun and I want to get paid.”

Johnny raised an eyebrow, amused by Yuta’s statement. He looked over at Jaehyun who nodded eagerly in agreement.

“First of all, I’m not going to pay you for helping keep the nation safe. But, I can give you an allowance every two weeks.”

Yuta and Jaehyun looked over at each other eagerly, surprised Johnny would pay them at all. Johnny ordered Taeyong to bring him his checkbook and the two guys could barely hold in their excitement when they saw the older scribbling some things down before ripping out two slips and handing them over.

Jaehyun’s face instantly lit up when he saw that Johnny had signed him off a total of five-thousand dollars for just two weeks. He almost got teary eyed thinking about how generous Johnny was.

While on the other hand, Yuta was frowning when he saw his allowance for two weeks was only five dollars. “Johnny,” He spoke in disbelief, “can you even cash in a check this low?”

Johnny seemed to think about it for a few seconds before he reached over for the check and took out his wallet, only to hand him over a five-dollar bill instead. “There you go.”

“But I even quit my internship to train more,” Yuta mumbled, still staring at the bill in his hand in utter disbelief.

“When you start saving the nation like Jaehyun instead of staying up watching anime, you’ll get a higher allowance.”

Yuta grumbled something underneath his breath that none of them were able to make out, but still stuffed the dollar bill into his empty wallet.

And with that discussion over, Johnny went back to typing as he shifted the conversation onto something else. “I’m going to have that Taeil guy over later, so make sure you’re not here around one.”

“Seriously, can’t we just say we’re the maids?” Yuta asked, but no one paid attention. He sighed, leaning back in his seat, and began to think about all the things he could do that day. He only had one class, and that was early in the morning. He had no friends outside of his housemates. And he didn’t do much for fun. When he was younger - wow, that made him sound old - he would dance for fun, he would play soccer as a passion, and he would have plenty of hobbies to keep his youth busy. But over the past few years, he was so busy with classes, and reading in his free time to become more knowledgeable on topics he thought he didn’t know enough. So, what was he supposed to do now? It also wasn’t like he had much money to spend. He only had a five dollar bill in his wallet.

“Jaehyun, what are you going to do?” Yuta asked when the two were walking down the hallway that led to their rooms.

Jaehyun slowed down his steps as they reached the door to Yuta’s room. “I think I’m going to head to the library to work on my assignment with Doyoung.”

Yuta nodded and began to head into his room, his head hanging low in disappointment. He would just have to find a better thing to do on his own.

And that was how he found himself standing outside of the coffee shop again that day, clutching the straps of his backpack tightly as he stared inside. His eyes scanned for that worker, Winwin, and he didn’t have to search for long because there he was, smiling brightly as he took a customer’s order.

Yuta thought he was gorgeous, smiling and all. And all he wanted to do in that moment, was walk inside and talk to him. Get to know him. Perhaps, if he wasn’t reaching, become the reason behind his smile.

Taking in a deep breath, Yuta walked up to the door and his hand found its way to the handle. But it never got further than that. He couldn’t push. He had enough guts to make his way over there, and put his hand on the handle, but his cowardice - and the part of him that disallowed him happiness - could not push.

He was so close, all he needed was that push. But today would not be the day.

And all Yuta could do was walk away and head over to the ice cream shop across the street with his head hung low, hoping that one day his guilt would set him free and allow him that happiness he longed for.

 

* * *

 

“What are you looking at?” Ten asked, turning his head to look around the room before turning back to look at Sicheng.

“I thought I saw Yuta,” Sicheng said, shaking his head slowly as he convinced himself it must have been someone that looked like him, “but I guess it wasn’t him.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAE! YOU'RE FINALLY [redacted]!!!
> 
> We really had to push ourselves to finish this chapter because it is so long... But I really wanted to upload today, because it is my sister's birthday it is time for celebration. Except it is almost 2 am right now and I have class in the morning.
> 
> But I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the Doyoung flashback story is in the works. Next chapter will include more Dream and some other members as a break from the Jaehyun/Doyoung/Captain J/ Doctor Death arc. But yeah. I need sleep.
> 
>  
> 
> Fun fact: I have misophonia and one time Nae was in bed three whole days sick and coughing uncontrollably every night, but I would tell her to shut up because she was triggering my misophonia. But I still love her I promise <3
> 
> -J
> 
>  
> 
> This chapter was very hard for me to read because it was very frustrating and I will say it's one of our more weirder chapters. Also, I am very excited for our next chapter because we will be [redacted] and I've been looking forward to it for a while now. 
> 
> J is NOT invited to my super swag, amazing birthday bash; sorry (not sorry) yyou had to find out this way.
> 
> ~Nae
> 
>  
> 
> Nae try not to spoil our story challenge failed [again]
> 
> On another note, while Nae was typing, I went on twitter and... Jeno's hair. That's all I'm saying.
> 
> -J


	20. In the Span of Two Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Guess what guys, I can actually manipulate people’s emotions, so you all better watch out from now on when you tease me about me crying over Daenerys.”

“I thought I saw Yuta, but I guess it wasn’t him.”

Ten rolled his eyes and shook his head disapprovingly. “If you’re seeing that Yuta guy when he’s not there, then you truly have fallen.”

Sicheng frowned, finally looking back at Ten. “Shut up. Don’t you have to get back to work?”

Ten grunted. “Yes. I wish I didn’t, but I guess I should go before I get fired or something. And I think I’ve been holding up the line.”

“You have,” Yangyang, who had been standing behind Ten the entire time with Kun at his side, spoke out after waiting an entire five minutes for the older to shut up.

“I didn’t ask you,” Ten said, only 90% serious. But he moved to the side anyway, allowing the younger to finally order his drink.

When Yangyang was sitting happily at one of the tables drinking his ice caramel macchiato by himself, Kun took advantage of the empty coffee shop to talk to Sicheng. “Have you thought about Ten’s idea yet?”

Sicheng almost groaned at the single mention of Ten’s idea to use him as a spy. Truth was, as much as he hated thinking about it, it was the only thing that filled his thoughts lately. He pondered the idea day and night and went back and forth with all the pros and cons. And the results always amounted to one conclusion: He needed a deciding factor. It was all so even, he needed some sort of sign to point him in a certain direction.

“I don’t know, Kun. It’s all I think about and-” Sicheng took in a deep breath and released in exasperation. “I wish my visions would come back to tell me what I should do.”

“Did they really stop?” Kun asked. He remembered Sicheng briefly ranting about it before, but they hadn’t had a full discussion about it. 

Sicheng nodded. “I don’t know why. It might be because I don’t use my powers, like ever. Perhaps they’re fading?”

Kun hummed, thinking back to all the studies he had ever done. Back home, he was a well-educated teacher after all. He had one of the highest degrees of knowledge that could be acquired by their kind, and his responsibility and education had earned him a spot on the mission to find that crystal, after all. He shook his head, recalling all of the rules of powers.

“No. Powers only fade for those who aren’t of our kind. Like Ten and Taeyong, which is why they need constant use of the crystal. Our kind is set for life. But-” Kun paused, trying to recall reasons as to why someone could experience fading in their powers. “I don’t know why your visions would stop. Unless you finally learned to use them only voluntarily.”

Sicheng pursed his lips, wondering if that was what happened to his powers. It was reasonable, but for as long as he’d had his visions, he could never control them to that extent. Sometimes he could force himself to have one, but it would wear him out immensely. And they just came when they wanted to. He _had_ learned how to control the pain he got with them - or more so, he built up a tolerance - and how to conceal himself when he got them, but he still couldn’t stop them or use them on command. But maybe if he tried... 

“I’ll try to figure out why they stopped, but if they really did bother you that much before, maybe you should consider it a blessing. Don’t worry about it too much.”

Sicheng nodded at the piece of advice.

“And Winwin, about Ten’s plan-” Kun sighed. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Ten will get over it even if he whines at first - you know how he is - and we have other ways to find the crystal.”

Sicheng nodded once more and smiled. “Thanks Kun.”

But that still would not stop his mind from rolling.

 

* * *

 

“Where are you going?” Doyoung asked Taeil while sipping from his peach colored mug that afternoon when the older headed towards the entrance of their shared apartment.

“Johnny and I set up a meeting so that I could expand my 'toolbelt' or whatever he said, I wasn’t really listening. So I trust you’ll take good care of the place while I’m gone. Also, don’t forget to water the plant.” Taeil said as he slipped on his shoes before he was opening the door to head out.

“Taeil,” Doyoung took the time to set his mug down and walk to the front door where Taeil was standing. “That plant is plastic.” Doyoung said with an exasperated tone.

Taeil dropped his satchel in shock. “You’re joking, right?”

Doyoung silently shook his head.

“I’ve been watering that plant for months!” Taeil squeaked, but continued to pick up his bag. “You know what? I am going to go meet Johnny and when I get back home I better see a new plant!” Taeil said with a slight huff and stormed out. Not even a few seconds later the door unlocked only for a few more words to be said. “And a real one!”

The door was slammed shut.

Doyoung snickered as he picked up his mug and carried on with his business. 

 

* * *

 

Taeil stood by the door, ringing the doorbell rather aggressively; most likely from finding out Terry, the plant he’d been watering, was not real. It was fairly obvious the plant was not real, the leaves never wilted, nor felt or looked real, and Doyoung never once watered it. Taeil felt like Boo Boo the Fool. He felt stupid, and idiotic for-

“Sorry I kept you waiting, I had to arrange some things. Please, come in.” Johnny said, his hair looked a bit disheveled as if he had ran a bit, but nonetheless he stepped aside to make room for Taeil to walk in.

“So, what exactly are we doing?” Taeil asked as he waited for Johnny to close the door and then followed behind when he walked forward.

“As I said when we arranged this meeting, we are going to exercise your powers and see what and where you can improve.” Johnny explained, leading Taeil down what seemed like a million corridors.

“I’m sorry, but did you say e-exercise?” Taeil asked with a slight stutter.

“Yes, is there a problem?” Johnny asked, only turning his head a bit to glance at the shorter guy.

“Well, yes. The last time I worked out was in high school and even then I sucked.”

Taeil talking about his past reminded Johnny of how they first met; Taeil was using his (weak) telekinesis to deliver mail but ended up falling out of his truck and scraped his knee on the pavement and Johnny, being the gentleman he was, handed him a handkerchief. It was an odd meeting.

Johnny opened the door which led downstairs, the path down was dim but the room itself was brightly illuminated. “We’re here! Welcome to the official practice room for 127!” Johnny announced with a hint of pride, his voice booming rather loudly through the large and empty room.

“It’s very-” There was a pause as Taeil turned to take it all in. “-large.” That was the only positive thing Taeil was able to come up with. The room had a lingering odor of sweat, it was filled with workout equipment, and in the corner was an odd room that had a translucent window, so he couldn’t see what was inside there.

Johnny was already walking ahead of him when he stopped looking around.

“Hey, what are you doing here, I told you-” Johnny started when he saw who was lifting weights was, but was interrupted by the elder shoving him to the side and while letting out a loud screech.

“Oh my god! Are you Captain J?!” Taeil asked, jumping up and down as he stared at the other man in the room. The other only released a stiff chuckle. Stunned was one of the many words to describe what he felt.

Jaehyun glanced over at Johnny who shook his head with wide eyes.

“Uhm. I can neither deny nor confirm the allegations being made about me - are you Taeil, perhaps?” Jaehyun asked, suddenly feeling his ego boost up, completely ignoring the fact that his boss was shoved to the ground just a few seconds ago. They both shook hands as a greeting and for a second almost forgot Johnny.

Johnny slightly huffed as he got up by himself while the other two chatted over small things like the weather, training, and interests.

“Wow, I’ve never seen someone so buff before. Can I touch?” Jaehyun’s eyes widened at the suggestion and Johnny lightly pushed Jaehyun aside before he could be harassed. 

“Okay! That’s enough, let’s continue our tour, shall we?” Johnny gently pressed his hand on Taeil’s back and guided him away from the nearly harassed Jaehyun.

“Why is this room so large? Is it perhaps because there are more superheroes? Are they training too? Where are we go-?”

 

* * *

 

It was at the tip of Jisung’s tongue. He knew he had it. The Hacker inside of him was yelling at him, telling him the answer - the solution to Dream’s problems - was right there. But what? What could it possibly be? What was it-

“Mark and Haechan, I got! Get ready to go under - cover.” Jisung looked around the room, slowly realizing there was a huge missing presence that day. His smile fell as his eyes scanned the room before they landed on Jaemin and Jeno. “Where are Mark and Haechan?”

Jaemin, who had been sitting on the couch playing a game on his phone with Jeno, answered the question. “They said they had training with Johnny.”

Jisung frowned, slowly sitting back down.

Right. 

There was that important factor to the equation which he had not taken into consideration.

“What’s up, Sung?” Chenle spoke up from his official seat next to Jisung at his desk.

“I was just thinking about how we could hack into SM again. But without Mark and Haechan the plan is useless.”

Jaemin and Jeno both looked at each other, and then they looked over at Chenle who looked back. The three of them then looked over at Renjun who had busied himself with some paperwork on the other side of the room. Feeling the watching eyes, he slowly looked up and slowly began to shake his head when he realized what they were all thinking.

“Oh no. No no no no no, I will not become a pawn in your game.” Renjun was now shaking his head even harder in strong refusal.

Jisung’s head perked up, a new idea coming up to his head when he remembered Renjun worked at the company they were trying to break into. He gasped loudly and clasped his hands. “Why didn’t I think about it before?! This is genius! We don’t even have to hack into the company, we have Renjun!”

“I did not agree to this.” Renjun was shaking his head once again. “I don’t even know the company that well like other workers.”

“No, but you don’t have to do much,” Jisung said, turning around in his seat before typing up a bunch of things and opening up a few files, “all you have to do is get me in. I will take over from there. Do you have access to the database files?”

“I just have my computer at the cubicle and-”

“That will do. I just need you to get in and click on a file that I will send you. From there I can check for a vulnerable point to breach the-”

“We get it, you’re a coding nerd.” Jaemin called out.

Jisung ignored the comment and concentrated on whatever he was doing. Until Renjun spoke up once again.

“But, if you want to hack into the many branches of SM, a lot of that isn’t digitized. Especially a lot of the files transferred over from the laboratory, the scientific developing team, and most of the science branch. Their database is different, so we only get access to the paper copies in the basement floor: The archives. SM is cautious with all of their files because they fear hacking, so they maintain them all within their own branches. I guess I know why now.”

Jisung froze. His fingers began to clench and his head fell down on his keyboard in exasperation. This could not be happening. This entire time, they had tried hacking the system, only for the files which they needed from all those specific branches… to not be digitized. What were they supposed to do now? Hack each individual branch? Renjun didn’t know the password to all of them. Jisung supposed it made sense that the different branches would not contain all the same databases, seeing how they all focused on completely different things.

But this was the main building. The center of everything. What were they supposed to do now?

“We could collect the files you need ourselves.” Jeno said, having read every single one of the younger’s thoughts.

Jisung’s head perked up and he turned to look at Jeno with a questioning look. “Really? You would sneak in there to collect the files?”

Jeno looked hesitant but nodded anyway. “I mean, I’m no Mark who can climb walls and crawl through vents like a spider, and I’m not Haechan who can teleport from one room to another, but I guess I’m agile and stealthy enough.”

“It’s true, he’s been taking some classes,” Jaemin said with a nod.

Jisung hummed, giving the idea some thought. And it didn’t seem bad. Sure, Jeno was no Mark or Haechan, but that wasn’t bad. He was Jeno. He had his own advantages.

Jeno didn’t even have to sneak inside, he worked there. He was pretty agile, he’d be able to run if he was caught. And with Jisung’s guidance, he would be able to find the files quick. And Renjun could even keep guard. But the place would be big and he would need someone else to help.

“Okay, Jeno and Renjun, you are both on the list. Who else wants to join?”

“Oh, I will! I will!”

“Alright, Chenle, it is settled then. You three are the new spy team.”

 

* * *

 

When Taeil had left after his training, it was time for Mark and Haechan to get their first power tests, conducted by none other than the power expert: Taeyong.

“So, have you two ever run tests of your own?” Taeyong asked, looking up from his tablet.

Mark and Haechan glanced over at each other and slowly nodded, both remembering the exact same moment.

 

_“Okay, let’s start off simple” Jaemin said, holding up a clipboard in one hand, and a pen in another. “Can you travel to our old high school? Classroom 205 on the second floor?”_

_Haechan flashed out of the room and flashed back in seconds later. He nodded._

_Jaemin checked off a box and pushed up his glasses. He looked back up. “Okay, now a little more extreme. Jisung, click next.”_

_Jisung did as told, and a picture of the river came up. “Can you travel there?”_

_Haechan disappeared once again before reappearing seconds later. “Yup!”_

_“Uh huh.” Jaemin checked off another box. “Now this one, you have never been to.”_

_“Is that Hawaii?” Mark asked, frowning when he saw the picture of the beach._

_Haechan flashed out once again. This time, he didn’t appear right away, and when a minute had passed, everyone in the room turned to look at each other. Jeno made a face and Chenle shook his head. Jaemin was about to cross out the box, when Haechan flashed back in with a smoothie in hand and wide grin on his face. He nodded. “Hell yeah I can travel to Hawaii.”_

_Jaemin nodded, impressed, and checked off the box, while Chenle and Mark began to laugh loudly in amusement._

_“Can he travel to the moon?” Chenle suddenly asked._

_“Whoa, can you?” Mark asked, astonished by the idea, completely forgetting the science that would disallow that._

_Jisung also began to think about it momentarily, amazed by the idea._

_“First of all,” Jaemin said, ready to become the common sense of the group for the day, “he would not have oxygen.”_

_“Okay, but what if he just held his breath in? It wouldn’t take long.” Jisung asked._

_“Do you know how cold the moon is? He would freeze.”_

_“He could wear a very thick coat.”_

_“There is so much wrong with this conversation.”_

 

“I guess you could say we’ve done some minor tests before…” Haechan said, sending Mark another glance.

“Yeah, very minor,” Mark agree with a firm nod.

“Alright, Johnny and I have some simulations set out for you two inside that room. We just want you to go through the simulations, and don’t worry if you can’t do some things. We will adjust them correctly to your powers later on.”

Taeyong looked over at Johnny who nodded. “Okay, Mark is first.”

Mark nodded and walked into the room. The lights dimmed instantly and everything around him transformed. Haechan and the others were replaced with the images of the city.

“Okay, for this first test, we need you two swing around, climb buildings, just do your thing.” It was Taeyong’s voice coming through.

Mark looked around, startled by the voice. But he couldn’t find the source. It was just the entire city surrounding him. The street was free of people besides himself. There were parked cars, empty shops, and the only thing he could hear was the whistling wind.

“So, I just swing? How does that work in here?”

“It’s like virtual reality, just do what you usually do and you’ll get the hang of the simulation.”

Mark nodded and raised a hand up. A web shot out and stuck to the side of the building, pulling him up from the ground. Or, at least that was what it felt like. He didn’t think he was actually off the ground? Was he? Or was the floor of the room transforming to fit him?

It was weird at first, but Mark was able to get the hang of it, swinging from one building to another with a breeze. Until Taeyong told him to speed it up, and Mark eventually found himself swinging as fast as he could. His webs attached to sides of buildings, pulling him forward with more and more acceleration each time. A building would get in his way and he would have to act quick and run up it before jumping off and falling at a great speed, before shooting out a web that pulled him up once again it. It was pretty cool. Mark couldn’t remember a time where he had swung around like that, freely on his own.

“Just a little faster.” Taeyong spoke up after Mark had already been going at it for a while at a decently fast speed, wanting to test the full extent of Mark’s powers.

But Mark’s hand slipped and his body had built up so much momentum - or the simulation had - and he went tumbling down, shutting his eyes tight, waiting for the impact of the cold, hard cement ground. But he forgot this was only a simulation, and the floor of the room felt much softer than he expected.

“That was great, but you need to work on your breaks.”

This time it was Johnny’s voice.

Mark sighed, resting his forehead against the floor, lying flat on the ground. He begrudgingly pushed himself back up, and stood at the center of the room once again, waiting for his next test.

“Next, we’re going to test your enhanced senses.” It was Taeyong again. “Grab the blindfold over there and wrap it around your head.”

Mark looked over to the center of the room where a little door opened, revealing a black blindfold. He looked over to the side where the window was visible once again, and looked at the two older guys questioningly. They nodded. Mark looked down at the piece of fabric in his hand and, deciding to not question any further, he wrapped it around his head, covering his eyes, and secured it.

He walked to the center of the room - or what he thought was the center. He couldn’t see.

“So what now-”

Mark shivered, feeling his senses tickling the back of his neck and traveling down his spine. He crouched down to the floor in quick reflex. He heard something swoosh right above his head, breezing by the few single strands of his hair that stood up. Now he was scared.

“Uh, guys? What was that-”

Another tingly sense came by and he jumped up and clung to what he assumed was the wall in a matter of seconds. And then there was another one and he threw himself off the wall. And another and he rolled to the other side of the room. And so on, and so on, and so on, until everything started speeding up and he was breathless, dodging everything as fast as he could. He felt like he was playing dodgeball in fifth grade and everyone in the gym was targeting him at once.

With the increasing speed, and his growing vulnerability, Mark was no longer dodging every target successfully. First, one of those swoosh balls hit his arm. Then his leg. Then his chest. And Mark was just running around at that point with his senses going off in every direction, hoping it would stop.

And it finally did and everything seemed to finally slow back down and -- he fell to the floor to catch his breath.

Mark ripped the blindfold off his face and he could see multi-colored spots all over the room, his vision was adjusting to the light once again. He glanced around the room and saw many little balls lying around. He looked up at the glass window and Taeyong was scribbling something down with Johnny looking over, while Haechan just laughed at the side.

Taeyong stopped writing and looked up from the clipboard. He nodded and gave Mark a thumbs up - which Mark thought he really could have gone without - and signaled him to come out.

Mark wiped the sweat of his brow before he pushed himself off the ground to go walk up to the door. That was quite the workout.

“You did pretty good for someone who has only done self-training.” Taeyong said, continuing to check some boxes off. “There are a few more tests, but I think I have worn you down enough for now, so let’s go over the results.”

Mark nodded and held his hands together tightly in front of him.

“Okay, the speed of your swinging and wall climbing/running is decent, you can reach almost any place in the city at an adequate time. There’s not much to say there, except you should be more confident with your webs, because your lack of confidence and overthinking will make you fall.”

Haechan snorted and Mark elbowed him in response.

“As for your senses, your initial responses are good, but there is a lot to work with. Of course, we only tested your reflex sense this time, but next round your other enhanced senses will be tested as well. But what I can tell you right now is that your senses have potential, only if you are willing to work with them. Don’t try to run away from them. Your powers know best.”

It was true, that Mark didn’t always work well with his powers. Sometimes he even went against them, resulting in nothing but utter failure. But letting them take control was so hard and he found it such a burden sometimes. But he nodded, feeling Taeyong would know best.

“Anyway, next time we will also try some target practice to see how fast you can web things up and see if your senses help with that. Now, Haechan.”

Haechan’s head perked up and he ran into the room as fast as he could - bow in hand - ready to show them all what he could do.

“Okay, Haechan, since you already have your bow and arrows ready, we’re going to start off with your archery level with some target practice.”

Haechan nodded and pulled out his bow and arrows, ready to shoot every target that came his way. His vision went into focus and he was prepared.

“3… 2… 1…”

A target appeared. Haechan released. Another one came up behind him with that small ring and he spun around as he pulled another arrow, set it into place, and then he hit the target as soon as it was in sight.

Continuously, more targets began to appear and he hit every single one of them without fail. His vision was sharp, catching sight of every single target, and Haechan moved fast, making sure not to miss one. But, just like Mark and the balls that were shot at him, the speed of the appearance of the targets began to increase and soon Haechan found himself turning as fast as he could, trying to miss not a single one. But his muscles were starting to sore, and no matter how fast his vision worked, his reflexes weren’t up to par. He was missing targets left and right and he had already stopped trying to move around so much.

And then the simulation ended and Haechan was groaning, dreading what Mark’s reaction would be when he walked out of the room.

“Okay, Haechan, you can set down the bow.”

Haechan did as told and stood at the center of the room, waiting for his next orders.

“Now, your teleportation skills will be tested.”

Haechan nodded, his fingers wiggling as he took in a deep breath. He was ready.

And once again, the room transformed, a new image of the city in front of him.

“Now, you are going to search for the different areas of destination, and you’re going to get around using your teleportation skills.”

Haechan nodded, and the countdown began once again. “3...2...1…”

There was a ring, and Haechan’s vision quickly searched for the target. At the very top of one the buildings, he was able to see it, the flag. Without even thinking about it, Haechan used his skills to teleport up there and took hold of the flag. But as soon as it was in his grasp, it pixelated away and Haechan was left with nothing in his hand. He looked up, and in the far distance, way far down the street where everything was just barely a blur, Haechan could see it, waving around in the rays of the sunset.

As soon as it was in sight, Haechan teleported over. Yet again, the flag disappeared and his eyes scanned quickly, and not so far from where he was, hidden underneath a car, was the flag. Haechan made his way over and the process repeated. Over and over, each time the flag becoming less visible than the last. And Haechan was starting to speed up, hearing that quick ding every time that flag was in reach before it instantly pixelated away. The setting would also change every few rounds. A beach, a dessert, a mansion -- it was endless. And soon Haechan could feel his pulse in his veins and his heart was pounding loudly in his ears when he couldn’t find the flag after many rounds. He turned and turned and it wasn’t in sight and then -- everything pixelated away and he was left in the blue room by himself and he could only fall down to his knees to catch his breath.

“That was excruciating,” Haechan said as he swung the door open and walked out. “I don’t ever want to do that again and -- Mark, don’t say anything.”

Mark bit his lip, keeping himself from laughing at the hypocrisy that was Lee Donghyuck.

“Okay Haechan, let’s go over the rundown,” Taeyong said, flipping back a page of scribbled notes and filled in charts. “Starting with your archery skills, they are definitely above the average person.”

Haechan snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“But there is a problem with how fast you wear out. You can keep up continuously until you hit a wall, and from there your skills take a big hit and fall at an increasing rate.”

It was Mark’s turn to snort, earning himself a shove from the younger boy.

“But your vision is something that really helps you in archery, and we should also focus on training that aspect of yours, because it might just be your greatest aspect. Not only does it help you with targets, it helps you in battle with spotting your opponents moves before they can even complete them, I noticed this before when you fought against Doctor Death. Your enhanced vision even helped you in the teleportation test and allowed you to respond faster.”

Haechan smiled proudly to himself, being well aware of how great his vision was. It was a blessing, truly.

“By the way, your teleportation skills were great. It looks like you have been able to train them to an almost perfection -- except we need to work on the move you do where you teleport through the air continuously, because, once again, you get inconsistent with it and when you fought against Doctor Death you lost control and you fell, which was very dangerous.”

Haechan shrugged and nodded, knowing it was a skill he needed to work on. At least his vision was perfect.

“I think it’s also important to point out Haechan’s greatest strength is also his greatest weakness, being his enhanced vision.” Johnny jumped in from behind and Taeyong rolled his eyes.

“I was just about to get to that,” Taeyong responded before turning back to the kid whose face had completely dropped. “Haechan, you have great vision and it gives you an upper hand. In some way, it makes things look as if they are slowed down, and it can concentrate highly on things like targets and your opponents moves. But the problem is, this only extends to your vision, and time does not actually slow down for you - that is something that comes with superspeed - and your body is not as quick as your vision.”

Haechan was frowning - pouting? They couldn’t tell.

“Your vision may be able to tell you things quickly, but your reflexes - your body - can’t keep up with those signals, which can really make you fail.”

“Don’t worry kid,” Johnny jumped in once again, wanting to lift Haechan’s spirits up. “We will train you so that your reflexes can move cohesively with your vision.”

Haechan nodded, but didn’t say much after. Taking notice of that, Mark decided to change the topic.

“So what now?”

“Well,” Taeyong said, flipping over some pages in his clipboard, before Johnny placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

“You kids take a rest. You two have done enough for the day. But, be ready for your next training session, because we will be testing your teamwork.”

Mark and Haechan instantly turned to look at each other, both grimacing at the mention of their teamwork. Yeah, that was going to be a difficult session.

 

* * *

 

Jeno and Jaemin had been sitting on the couch, just like any other day that summer that the two were free - which was any day that Jeno didn’t have to go to his internship - and as always, they were playing on their phones. It was a nice way to spend summer, really, in an air conditioned room - not like the air condition was all that great in Jisung’s dad’s shop though - playing games on an old raggedy couch with a friend. It was rather calming and therapeutic for the mind.

Then, there was also the fact that they were undercover, somewhat, spies or superheroes, which just added that extra spice to their lives. Though, they didn’t exactly know what to call themselves. Superheroes? Vigilantes? Spies? It wasn’t like they did any of the heavy lifting in the group, no, that was Jisung. And Mark and Haechan.

Jisung was the brain of the group, no one could deny that. Even with Haechan and Mark around, if there was no Jisung, it was all useless.

There was one time, earlier in the summer before Renjun had joined the team, when Chenle and Jisung had flown out to China to stay at the older’s home for a few days. It hadn’t even been that long, maybe four days or five, but the time spent waiting was excruciating. Mark stared at the monitors all day, as if waiting for something to pop up, but nothing ever happened - probably because they were turned off. Haechan had spent the time practicing his teleportation out of pure boredom. He would flash out of the room for seconds or minutes, and then flash back in. Each time he reappeared, Haechan would look around the room for any signs up life - more so, any signs of Jisung or Chenle - before ultimately deciding to flash out once again. Where he disappeared off to during those times, they would never know. And then Jaemin and Jeno had spent their time taking turns throwing a ball at the wall before it bounced back and one of them caught it. They didn’t even play games on their phones, it just didn’t feel right without Jisung’s typing in the background, and Chenle’s loud talking beside him. Thankfully, the two boys returned eventually.

Everything went back to normal when Jisung and Chenle returned, and though no one ever actually mentioned how painful the silence had been those sickening days, they all knew; Jisung truly was the mastermind of the group that kept it all going. Mark and Haechan did a lot of the work on the outside, being the arms and legs or so, but at the end of the day, Jisung was the brain.

Perhaps that was why the group didn’t completely fall apart after Mark and Haechan got busy with 127. Because Jisung was there to keep it going. But Jeno and Jaemin - what were they?

Chenle was obviously the energy of the group, the one that kept them motivated - especially Jisung, which made him very valuable because their brain was important, and Chenle motivating their brain was even more important. And from time to time, when he wasn't trying to crack a joke to make someone laugh or smile, Chenle could get very serious. He could be a genius. Whether he would say those things thoughtlessly or not, Chenle could sometimes say very valuable key things.

Then, there was Renjun. He was important. They hadn’t figured out how yet, he had only joined them that summer, but they knew he was valuable to the group. He had something that none of them had, and maybe it was the way he thought. It was still hard to point out, but the way he saw things, the way his mind worked, it was different from the rest. And one day, when they came to use him for some super secret mission in the near future, that could come in handy.

But Jaemin and Jeno, they were founding members and they still didn’t know what their job was exactly. Sure, they did things here and there, like when Jaemin helped test all of their powers and convinced the group to not make Haechan teleport to the moon - that would have been disastrous - or when Jeno helped get Mark and Haechan into the building. But really, they both thought those jobs were simple tasks that anyone else in the group could have done. So what were they truly there for?

Well, Jeno had a job now. And no, not his internship, but a job relating to the team. He was the new Mark - and yes, he was quite aware that he couldn’t replace Mark, but it was only in a sense - and that meant Jeno had to learn to be their new secret agent. He had to learn to crawl through vents and fight off the bad guys. Truthfully, Jeno was pretty excited. He had been practicing flips and tricks and some mixed martial arts for a couple of months already, especially since classes had ended, but he didn’t know if he could trust himself.

Many times they had seen and heard Mark fight bad guys and run away from them - thanks to Jisung’s shady technology - and Jeno admired what he did. Truly, no one could do it like Mark. But how was he supposed to live up to that? He couldn’t.

And then there was the identity crisis that Jaemin was going through. Who was he? What was his purpose? He may have been exaggerating, sometimes he like to dramatize for the sake of his boredom, but he also had to wonder; In what way did Jaemin help the team? Besides stopping the guys from killing themselves every now and then, what did he truly do?

Chenle and Jeno were going to be the new Mark and Haechan - taking over their roles, he meant - and Renjun was going to be the new additional help, creating a new role specifically for himself. But Jaemin? All he did was sit there besides Jisung while everyone else was out, bothering him more than he should.

And while the boys had their own worries, they still sat there, in that raggedy old couch that Jisung’s dad had brought in for them before, playing games on their phone as if they had no care in the world when they really had many insecurities. The best friends didn’t even talk about it out loud. Jeno could hear Jaemin’s insecurities, and Jaemin could feel Jeno’s worries. They both knew, and they both understood.

And it wasn’t until Renjun walked into the room through the back door, giving the two an unreadable expression before speaking up when he stood in front of them, that their day was ready to change for the better. “Would you two like to join me today in an exploration?”

Jaemin and Jeno’s eyes had widened and the two were quick in exchanging a look and a thought, before they turned back to Renjun and nodded a little too enthusiastically.

“What is it?” Jaemin had asked first. “Are we going to go undercover? Are we going to hack SM?”

“Are we going to steal money from the poor to give to the rich - wait, backwards.”

Renjun frowned and gave the two a very concerned look before he shook his head. “No, not at all. I was just trying to invite you guys to the illusion art museum.”

Jeno and Jaemin exchanged another look. They both shrugged and turned to Renjun and nodded.

“Sure.”

“Nothing better to do.”

Just like that, both Jaemin and Jeno stood up, ready to get rid of their boredom for the day.

“I would go by myself, but I think that’s quite sad, and I don’t have any other friends to invite,” Renjun said when they all began to walk out of the building and start to head down the street.

“It’s okay Renjun, we know we’re growing on you,” Jaemin said, too cocky grin on his face, as he bumped the shorter’s shoulder.

Renjun rolled his eyes, but said nothing else and continued his walk. Jaemin and Jeno began to talk besides him, giggling about this and that. That was, until, Jeno’s phone rang and he instantly stopped to answer when he saw who it was. Renjun turned around, a frown etched on his face, and Jaemin looked over Jeno’s shoulder to see who it was.

“Hey!” Jeno answered quite enthusiastically and Jaemin sighed, knowing the call was going to take a while. “No, I’m not busy.”

Jaemin and Renjun exchanged a look.

“Oh yeah, I can totally meet up right now.”

Jaemin and Renjun exchanged another look.

“Alright, cool, see you there.”

Jeno hung up and when he turned to look at the other two, it was evident on his face that he had just realized what he’d done. “Oh.”

“Yeah, _oh_.” Jaemin shook his head in disapproval. “Are you going to meet up with Doyoung?”

Jeno nodded, stuffing his phone into his pocket. “Yeah, I haven’t seen him face to face since… summer started? Maybe before that. We both had finals, he had summer classes, I got my internship, and so on and so on. We haven’t had time to meet up in a while.”

Jaemin hummed. “Alright, go, I’m sure he’ll be waiting.”

Jeno apologized to both before running down to the other side of the street and disappearing into a corner, leaving behind Jaemin and Renjun.

“Well,” Jaemin started when the last trace of Jeno was gone, turning to face Renjun, “I suppose it’s just you and I.”

Renjun opened his mouth to say something, before he was cut off by Jaemin who spoke up once again.

“You know, anyone else seeing us could think we were going on a date.” And it was sealed with a wink.

Renjun rolled his eyes and turned around to continue the walk, but not without a grinning Jaemin following behind.

 

* * *

 

Jaemin was different from what Renjun had thought he was at first. Yeah, he had those spurring moments where he got overly spontaneous and weird - thought that could easily be blamed on caffeine - and sometimes he was cocky and flirty and clingy - which Renjun had noticed he did to everyone - but there was more than that.

Renjun watched Jaemin carefully, studying every last bit of him, trying to take his energy in as much as he could. And there was something oddly satisfying about observing Jaemin that he couldn’t exactly pinpoint.

Jaemin stood in front of one of the illusion works, trying to make it seem like he was part of the art, and Renjun’s eyes trailed over him closely; The crinkle in his eyes as he looked around the room, a small smile appearing on his face, the wide grin when he turned to look at Renjun, fascinated by the illusion art, and the shouts at Renjun to go join him followed by laughter. And then there were the moments of silence, where they stop to look at something and Jaemin would stare intensely - not at the work itself, but at Renjun. And then, when Renjun would talk here and there, Jaemin would be still and quiet, only humming and nodding to let him know he was listening and paying attention.

Jaemin was an interesting person, Renjun concluded.

“So, I didn’t take you as the type to go to an illusion art museum,” Jaemin began to talk after he had ordered his coffee from the museum’s cafeteria, and the two were sitting by the windows, “so what made you want to come here?”

Renjun pursed his lips. He glanced out the window as he began to think about it. Why did he want to go there? Sure, he liked art, but this wasn’t necessarily his type. And a museum like this was very much for taking pictures with friends to upload on social media, and to have a few laughs with friends and-

“I don’t have many friends.”

The answer came as a surprise and Jaemin was visibly having a hard time gulping down his latest sip.

“What?”

Renjun nodded, finalizing his answer in his head before voicing it out.

“I don’t have many friends - any, really. Haechan was the first friend I made in a long time - and he’s busy, obviously - and after that, I suppose I’m closest to you and Jeno, so I guess, in a moment of weakness, I decided maybe that wasn’t a bad thing.”

Jaemin still seemed taken back, and with every second that passed with him staring, Renjun was beginning to grow bashful. And it was embarrassing, because Renjun knew Jaemin could sense that. But Renjun didn’t want to use his powers to conceal, not this time.

“That’s nice.”

Renjun raised an eyebrow, waiting for Jaemin to elaborate.

“I mean, that you’ve decided to reach out, that’s nice.” Jaemin explained, looking reluctant before he continued. “I was starting to think I would have to chase after you forever.”

It was Renjun’s turn to question. “What?”

“I mean, I don’t know if you noticed, but I’ve been reaching out to you ever since you joined the team, like, trying to become friends.”

“Oh.” Renjun nodded. “Well, I guess you got lucky.”

Jaemin smiled and Renjun hated when he did that, because Jaemin went all out with his smiles; Shiny, pearly white teeth, a glimmer in his eyes - it was awful.

“Anyway, moving on, why have you been acting all sad lately?”

Jaemin was taken back by the sudden question and the change of the mood. But the question itself, it really wasn’t such a surprise. It was just shocking, coming from Renjun.

“Stop staring at me like that, I’m pretty sure everyone in the team has noticed by now. Is it because everyone has a job now besides you?”

Wow, for someone who didn’t have the cheating powers of empathy or telepathy, Renjun could sure catch on to things quickly.

“Is it that obvious?” Jaemin asked, and there was something about his tone that made Renjun pity him. “I thought I was hiding it pretty well.”

“Yeah, well, I’m quick-witted.” Renjun observed Jaemin and his expressions. Yeah, he was damn obvious.

Or maybe Renjun just payed attention. Whatever it was, Renjun didn’t want to look into it to much, there was something more important at hand: Jaemin’s insecurities.

Renjun didn’t understand why someone with powers as brilliant and magnificent as Jaemin’s could feel so insecure about their position. Then again, Renjun couldn’t recall a single time Jaemin had used his powers in a mission - and, then again, Renjun hadn’t been on any missions with them besides one, if it counted.

Still, Renjun thought Jaemin was more confident than that, but maybe it was just on the outside. Once again, Renjun had underestimated Jaemin.

And what was he supposed to do then? Jaemin told him about his insecurity - or more so he _admitted_  when Renjun asked. Was Renjun supposed to give him reassurance? Help him feel better? How to do that? Renjun was new to this.

“You know, Jaemin, you can do so much more with your powers than what you’re doing right now.”

That was not reassurance in any sort of way, and Jaemin’s look of confusion was proof of that. Renjun realized, he would have to elaborate.

“Your powers are, in my opinion, some of the greatest powers one could have. Empathy is powerful enough as a human emotion, but as a superpower? I don’t think you realize how great your powers are.”

Jaemin still looked confused. “But you can’t fight off the bad guys with Empathy like Mark’s agility, and you can’t hack into evil buildings with Empathy like Jisung’s coding skills.” 

“No. You can’t, but you can do more.”

Jaemin’s expression did not change and Renjun sighed in exasperation. He turned around, scanning the room for a target. His eyes landed on a couple at the other side of the cafeteria.

“There, practice your skills on them.”

Renjun turned to Jaemin who was only frowning, glancing back and forth between the couple and him. “What am I supposed to do? Feel their emotions? They’re both happy and in love, it’s pretty much-”

“No,” Renjun shook his head, “make them _feel_.”

“F- _feel_? As in, manipulate their emotions?” Jaemin asked, wide eyed. He glanced back at the couple, and then turned back to Renjun. He began to shake his head. “I’ve never gone that far with my powers, the most I’ve done outside of my comfort zone is see the colors of emotions-”

Renjun rolled his eyes and waved a hand in front of Jaemin to shut him up. “That’s why your powers suck, you’ve never ventured with them.”

“But what if I can’t do it?”

“Trust me, you will.”

“Okay, what do I do?”

“Make them mad at each other.”

“That’s cruel.”

“Boring, okay, make them sad.”

“I don’t want to ruin their happy atmosphere.”

“Okay fine, you decide.”

Jaemin hummed as he thought to himself. A look then appeared on his face and he nodded to himself. Renjun’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion and when Jaemin turned to look at the couple, Renjun did the same.

Jaemin closed his eyes and exhaled. His eyes opened and there was a new look of determination on his face. Renjun watched with interest as Jaemin’s hand clenched and a small, peachy-pink color, shone from his fist.

And then the couple from across the room grew - Renjun frowned once again - giddy?

Renjun watched as the couple began to laugh silently among themselves, looking like they had no care in the world, as if there was no one else in the room, snickering, giggling, about probably nothing. Because it wasn’t natural, it was Jaemin.

“Giddy?” Renjun asked, turning to look at Jaemin who was now facing him with a satisfied grin on his face. Renjun snorted. “I’m impressed. But you know, you can still do so much more than that.”

“Indulge me.”

 

* * *

 

“Guess what guys, I can actually manipulate people’s emotions, so you all better watch out from now on when you tease me about me crying over Daenerys.”

Jisung stared blankly at Jaemin before he turned back around and went back to typing. “ _Okay_ , anyway, Jeno, did you go over the list of instructions I sent you?”

There was no answer and they all turned to look at Jeno who was sitting on the couch, staring off, looking dazed.

“Jeno.”

“Huh? Oh, yes, I did.”

“Good,” Jisung said and turned to ask Chenle the same thing.

Jaemin’s eyes didn’t leave his best friend and he walked over to sit beside him, but Jeno seemed to not notice his presence.

“How was it with Doyoung?”

Jeno finally realized Jaemin was sitting beside him, and Jaemin could feel it, his surprise. Followed by a nervous feeling.

“Oh, it was good. I mean, you know, we haven’t seen each other face to face in probably months and so we missed a lot. A lot. Yeah. A lot to talk about. Big things.”

Jaemin frowned. That was weird. Not just how Jeno was speaking, but how he was feeling.

“What happened? Did he say something-”

“Please don’t ask,” Jeno said, knowing Jaemin would push until he found out the answer, knowing his powers would tell him a lot, “you know I’m not good at lying.”

Jaemin was taken back by the pleading tone, but he understood. If it was something Jeno couldn’t tell him, he understood. Still, he was very curious.

“Alright,” Jaemin nodded, “then let’s change the subject.”

_So you and Renjun, huh? What went down?_

The look on Jeno’s face was enough to let Jaemin know it was more than just an innocent question with no teasing behind. He rolled his eyes. He brought it upon himself.

_We have decided to become friends. I think._

Jeno raised an eyebrow.

_Friends? Just friends?_

Jaemin shook his head.

_Not like that, you stupid. I think he’s trying to reach out, you know, like trying to be less lonely._

_Aw, that’s cute. Kinda offended he didn’t reach out to me too, though._

_He did, you doofus, he invited us both. You just decided to ditch us._

_Oh, right._

 

 

* * *

 

“So you told your cousin?” Taeil asked, clinging on to Doyoung as he glanced around the street.

“Yeah.”

“And how did he take it?”

“Good - can you stop clinging on to me so much?” Doyoung grumbled, lightly pushing his roommate off.

“Sorry, but that’s good that Jeno- Oh! I think that’s him!” Taeil how cut himself off when he saw a familiar figure.

Doyoung stopped walking momentarily, turning to look in the direction which Taeil pointed at to see some random guy walking down the street. He frowned.

“Taeil-”

“Wait, I’m not sure, maybe if he took his shirt off.”

“Taeil-”

“No, wait, I think _that_ guy might be him!” Taeil once again interrupted his friend when his eyes caught sight of, yet again, another guy.

Doyoung rolled his eyes and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. Taeil turned to face him, and Doyoung shook his head.

“Taeil, ever since yesterday, you’ve been saying that about every single guy you see who looks somewhat attractive and/or buff.”

“I swear, if I was able to see him again for real, I would recognize him right away on the spot, seriously.”

Doyoung ignored his friend and continued his walk, Taeil following along, stopping every few steps to point at a new guy. And each time, Doyoung would ignore him. Or he tried to at least, because even though he knew Taeil was most probably wrong, he still glanced in curiosity.

But then, when they were turning the corner to another street, Taeil gasped loudly and pointed dramatically far ahead. “Him. I swear it, this time for sure, that is him, no doubt about it.”

Doyoung turned to look at his friend and the quite serious look on his face. Taeil only stared ahead, and Doyoung rolled his eyes, turning to face forward, when he saw him.

“Jaehyun? Captain J?”

 

 

\--

 

Extra:

"Don't you think you were being harsh on the kids earlier?" Johnny asked when he walked into the living room and spotted Taeyong sitting on the couch, going through tests results of the day.

Taeyong hummed and shook his head. "Back in my planet, that's the training level that all children go through to practice for whatever powers they might have in the future."

"Except, this isn't your planet."

Taeyong pushed his glasses up and looked up. Johnny raised an eyebrow.

"Oh right," Taeyong hummed to himself, "I forgot how weak humans are."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be fair, when I said we might be gone for a month or so, I really thought we'd be gone for, like, three weeks tops. But then I had finals, and then I was very mentally not okay for a while, and then I was physically even worse, and then it went back and forth between the two, and at some point I began to work on this excruciatingly long oneshot that was really meant to be a drabble but turned out to be 20k+. Maybe I'll release it soon so you guys can read it. And the point is, this chapter is really all over the place, but we didn't really know where to end it? And we didn't really know how to sort it so that it wouldn't be jumping back and forth between characters? And we also wanted it to be long as a sorry for being gone for so long?
> 
> Yeah, we're pretty sorry. We feel pretty guilty too. But I'm better now, and I've been writing up a lot of things, and we're almost done with this arc. One or two chapters left, I promise. And then the second arc begins - and idk if yall noticed, but the center characters of the first arc or Dr D and Cap J - and then some new characters will become the villains, can yall guess who? Unlike the first arc where the main villain is Dr D, the second arc is a group of villains. Anyway, I'm ranting and I'm tired.
> 
> -J
> 
> (This is our longest chapter yet..... and I think the next few are only going to be longer. Oh wait, also, Nae and I are in LOVE with Boom and the entire album, please support the dreamies.)
> 
>  
> 
> I'm sorry I haven't been putting in as much effort as I can, I know I can do better and I'm sorry for that. Also somebody please tell J to rest, she's been in a weird writing flurry and its kind of scary and concerning. These days I've been anxious and a bit under the weather while trying to manage my social life and I'm sorry I couldn't work on this story more. I feel bad for the way this chapter kind of jumps around and I hope you guys can understand. Please send my sister love, she got the short end of the stick.
> 
> Thank you
> 
> ~Nae


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